Red Wings of Fate
by The Shadow Hawk
Summary: [Ch. 25 At last] Two new priestesses, two new sets of seishi, one new evil that forces enemies together to save their world. What new friendships and loves will form? R&R please.
1. The Story Begins Again

Disclaimer: Don't own much…Um…Kohana…Momo…Ayame…Ruri…the story…um…I suppose the new seishi…they're names are the same as the old ones but they're kinda different people…Hmm…confusing, huh? I don't get it either.

**Author notes: Please keep in mind this story won't exactly be Tamahome friendly. It's not horribly mean, but I never liked him much, I don't exactly treat him well in my stories. This will be better than the others though. For an explanation, look at chapter 22 of my other story _Amethyst and Amber_. That explains it all. If you want to yell at me, fine, but be sure you've read that. Otherwise, I'll be very upset.**

**And also, this is a rewrite of chapter 1. I was sick of how unoriginal chapters 1 and 2 were so I just about completely overhauled them, hopefully for the better.**

Summary: Kohana Kurogawa led a relatively normal life. Her parents died when she was young, but her older sister took excellent care of her. A few other interesting things happened, like summoning seishi to her world. Now at the age of 16, she has to fulfill a destiny that only her brother-in-law and his friend know about.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 1: The Story Begins Again**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

* * *

Sixteen-year-old Kohana Kurogawa sat at a table in the library with some of her friends and another girl she wasn't particularly fond of, Momo Saito. Kohana and Momo were always at odds with each other for one reason or another and only associated with each other because of their mutual friends.

Kohana lived with her sister, Ayame, brother-in-law, Tasuki, and their young son. Sometimes she stayed with her sister's friend, Ruri, her husband, Amiboshi, and their twins. It had been years since Kohana had brought Tasuki and Amiboshi out of the book and sometimes forgot how it happened.

On that particular day, the small group was working on papers for school. Kohana had a book about phoenixes in front of her. They were all writing about ancient mythology.

"Kohana, gimme that book on dragons on your left." Momo held out her hand for the book. When Kohana didn't respond, Momo frowned. "Kohana!"

Her head shot up. "Huh? What?"

"Are you gonna give me that book or not?" She growled.

Some of the other girls laughed. Kohana picked up the book. "Sorry."

"Better be." Momo snatched it out of her hand and opened it up. "You're so spacey…"

Kohana flipped through a few pages. "Yeah…I know…"

One of the girls sitting next to Kohana looked at her funny. "Hey, you're not just gonna take that are you?"

"Take what?" Kohana blinked.

"See? She is spacey." Momo laughed at her. "I'm going to the bathroom. Be right back." The fiery red head got up and left the small group.

Kohana propped her head in her hands and stared at one of the pictures in the book. Her thoughts wandered to everything but her school assignment. _'Leave it to me to pick something close to home…maybe this was a bad idea…'_ She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. _'Wonder what happened to that book…haven't seen it in years…did someone else find it? Is it sitting around somewhere waiting for a couple of people to find it? I kinda miss it…it was a good book and it's done a lot for me…'_

"Kohana? Can you go find Momo? She's been gone for like, a long time…it doesn't take that long to go to the bathroom, does it?" A brunette girl poked Kohana and jolted her from her thoughts.

"Me? Why me?"

"You don't look like you're doing much for your paper." She giggled.

Kohana wrinkled her nose. "Okay, okay. I'll go." She closed the book in front of her and got up. "And that girl calls me spacey…she probably saw a cute guy on the way to the bathroom…I just don't get her…"

She began to walk down the hall to the ladies' room when she stopped. Momo was standing in front of the staircase to the second floor, just staring. She looked a little pale and was standing so still Kohana wasn't sure she was even breathing.

"Momo?" Kohana reached out and poked her.

Momo inhaled sharply making Kohana stumble backwards. "What?" Momo snapped at her.

Kohana held her hands up defensively. "Hey! Don't bite my head off! The other girls were wondering where you went. Why were you staring at the stairs? You looked a little freaked out."

Momo looked at the stairs again. "I…thought I heard something…"

"Heard something? Like what? A person? A board creak?" Kohana raised an eyebrow.

"No…it was…never mind…I was hearing things…" Momo shrugged and turned back to the hallway.

Kohana to a step forward when she heard a screeching noise. She turned back to the stairs. "Not again…"

"What? You hear something?" Momo stared at the other girl.

"Umm…maybe…" Kohana scratched her head. "I don't know…"

"Well…what did you hear?"

"Like…a screeching…like a really big bird…"

"A bird?" Momo crossed her arms over her chest.

Kohana shook her head. "I think I've been looking at books for too long…"

"That's it…" Momo frowned and started up the stairs.

"What's it? Where are you going?" Kohana grabbed her arm.

"Up there! You heard a bird, I heard something roar, something is up there! And I'm going to find out." She went up a few more steps.

"We can't go up there. We don't work here!" Kohana went in front of her to stop her.

"No one said you had to come too." Momo ducked under her arm and went up. Kohana sighed and followed her. Momo looked at her. "Coming are you?"

"Well, I am curious too…" Kohana bit her bottom lip and followed Momo into the hallway.

They crept down the hall, hoping no one else was up there. As they were passing a locked door, they both heard the noises they had a few minutes ago. They turned so rapidly they crashed into each other.

"Ow!"

"Watch where you're going!" Momo hissed at her. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard a screeching again…" Kohana rubbed her head.

"I heard the roar…" Momo stared at the door. "I think it came from here…"

Kohana tried to turn the knob. "It's locked…" She started to pull her hand away when the lock clicked.

Both girls' eyes widened and they jumped back, trying to think of excuses to give to whoever was behind the door.

It opened slowly and an older woman stepped out into the hallway. She smiled when she saw Kohana and Momo. "Hello girls. Are you lost?"

Kohana thought she recognized the woman, but couldn't quite place it. "Ah…no…we…thought we heard something…"

"Heard something did you? Well, no one up here but me." She stepped away from the door. "You're welcome to look if you don't believe me."

Kohana and Momo looked at each other then walked into the room. There were many shelves lined with countless amounts of old books. They carefully inspected the walls for anything that could have created the sounds they heard.

When they found nothing, Momo let out a sigh of relief. "Guess I was just hearing things." She walked back to the door. "Thanks for letting us…huh?" Momo looked around, confused.

Kohana came back to the door. "What's wrong?"

"The lady's gone…" Momo looked up and down the hallway. "She left us up here alone?"

"Well, it's not like we're bad kids." Kohana looked around the room. "But since she's gone, I want to look for something…"

"In here? What?" Momo walked over to her.

"An old book. You can go back down." Kohana waved her off. "I can look myself."

"Well, now you made me curious." Momo huffed. "I want to see this book."

"I don't even know if I'll find it though…" Kohana's eyes scanned the shelves for _The Universe of the Four Gods_. This was, after all, where she had found it the first time.

"Well, I don't want to explain where I was to everyone else by myself, so I guess I'll wait till you give up." She leaned on one of the bookshelves.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kohana continued to look at the shelves while Momo idly filed her nails.

Suddenly, Momo's balance faltered and she fell to one side. She sat up and rubbed her side. "Ow! That hurt!"

Kohana came around one of the shelves. "Queen of Balance, you ain't. Wanna make some more noise?" She offered the other girl a hand.

"Shut up!" Momo hissed and grabbed her hand. "Are you done yet?"

"Yeah…I don't see what I was looking for…" Her eyes scanned the shelf Momo had been leaning on. "Or…" She suddenly perked up.

"Or what?" Momo sounded annoyed.

Kohana smiled and pulled a book of the shelf. "I found it!"

"So what is it?"

"A book my sister read me when I was 6." She ran her fingers fondly over the worn cover.

"All this for some book from your childhood?" Now Momo was very annoyed.

"Hey! I said you could go and this is really important to me!" Kohana snapped back.

Momo stuck out her tongue at Kohana. "Fine, fine. So what's it about?"

"Oh…it's a fairy tale about gods and wars and things like that. I really enjoyed it when I was little."

Momo snatched the book out of her hands. "Think we could use it for our papers?"

"Hey! Gimme that back!" Kohana grabbed the book back.

"I just want to see it!" Momo tried to grab it again, but Kohana had a much better grip on it this time.

"Would you just hold on for two seconds? I was the one looking for this!" Kohana tugged on it.

They pulled back and forth, hissing at each other until the book slipped away from them both. They both watched it fall to the ground, not doing anything about it.

It landed with a dull thud and opened to a random page. Once it settled, it began to glow with a bright red light. They opened their mouths to scream but no sound emerged.

Kohana opened her eyes to find herself alone in a world of red. Again she heard a large bird screech. She looked around for the source but found none. The only other thing in this world of red besides her was a long, bright red feather.

She reached out to grab it but was blinded by a magnificent red light before she could touch it. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a soft patch of bright green grass.

With a great deal of effort, she pushed herself up and looked around. Momo was lying a few feet away and they were on the outskirts of a forest. Beyond a few more trees, there was a wall, presumably a city on the other side. She closed her eyes again as something occurred to her.

_'That woman in the library…it was Baba…Tai Itsukun…that's why I thought I knew her. She let us in there to find the book on purpose. But Momo too? Is she a priestess? Great…as if we didn't fight often enough as is…'_

"Kohana?" Momo had gotten up and was looking around, obviously scared.

"Over here." Kohana stumbled to her feet and walked over.

Momo looked over at her. "My head…that thing…"

"What thing?"

"I'm not sure…before I woke up here, I saw nothing but blue and I heard that roar again…I didn't see anything except a large blue scale…kinda like a umm…"

"A dragon scale?"

"I dunno…something like that maybe…" She dropped the subject and looked at the nearby wall. "Wh-where are we?" Momo put her hand on a tree and pushed herself up.

She shrugged. "Kutou, Konan maybe…"

"What?" Momo turned on her with a confused look on her face.

"Never mind. It was nothing." Kohana shook her head. "Why don't we look around for someone?"

"Look for someone? Are you nuts? We could be killed out here by anyone!"

"Well, it's that or wander around like a couple of twits!" Kohana snapped back.

"Fine then! We'll wander to goodness knows where! See if I care!" Momo threw her hands up in exasperation. "Should we just go see who's on the other side of that wall and say 'Hello, we're lost. Can someone help us?' I suppose that'll work!"

"Well would you like to figure out something else to do?! Because I don't know what else to do!"

Momo's arms dropped. She sighed. "I guess you're right…we could be stuck here…wherever here is…"

Kohana straightened her shirt. "Well, let's go then, while it's still light out."

Momo nodded. "Okay."

They started to walk out of the forest towards the wall. They didn't know what to say to each other so they walked in silence. They couldn't have been walking for more than a minute when Momo stopped.

"Kohana…"

She turned and saw Momo's pale face. "Are…are you okay?"

"I don't feel too good…" She suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.

Kohana rushed over to her. She knew what was happening. Momo wasn't supposed to be here. She was going back. Kohana flung her arms around Momo as if holding onto her would make her stay or send them both back.

A small cry escaped Momo's lips and she disappeared in a flash of blue light. Kohana stumbled forward through the empty air to the ground. She cringed. "Shoot…now I am alone…" She sat up and started crying, not knowing what else to do.

* * *

Momo opened her eyes and found herself on the floor of the library room, alone with nothing but the book. "Ko…Kohana?" She asked, though in the back of her mind she knew no one would answer.

She stared at the book that Kohana had picked up. Even though she was afraid of the strange book, something inside her told her to pick it up again. She reluctantly did and read the first page.

"'The two young women argued bitterly over their course of action. Eventually the red haired woman conceded to the black haired girl's plan to find someone. She had no better ideas herself. They walked in silence, as they had for most of their young lives…' Oh my goodness, what is this thing? Isn't that what I just went through?" She held the book in her shaking hands and kept reading. "'They walked until the red haired girl fell the ground, in pain, a voice thundering in her head saying she did not belong here…not yet…'"

Momo put the book down so that she could steady herself. _'What is going on? That was what I heard…am I dreaming? Maybe something I ate…I'm shaking so much but I feel like I have to keep reading…'_ As much as she didn't want to keep reading, she did.

"'The black haired girl was left to cry after a bright light took her companion away. She was now alone and scared in a place she'd never seen before. The young woman was so upset she never noticed someone walking up to her.' Oh Kohana you idiot! Look up! Someone's there!" Momo looked around the room hoping she was still alone and she was. "Somebody save me. I'm yelling at a stupid book…" She picked herself up and settled into a corner to continue reading, forgetting about everything else.

* * *

Kohana was curled into a tight ball, still crying, when she felt the need to look up. Someone was crouched in front of her, hand outstretched to touch her shoulder. She screamed in surprise and fell backwards. The person, who Kohana knew to be a man after he let out a startled cry of his own, jumped back to his feet.

"S-stay away from me!" Kohana swallowed her fear and got to her feet.

He held his hands up. "I wasn't going to hurt you. I heard someone crying out here. Was it you?"

Kohana wiped a final tear away. "So what if it was me?"

"Well, I was coming to see if you needed any help…" He took a couple of steps towards her. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Kohana laughed cynically. "I have no idea where I am. I'm alone. I have no money to speak of. And I'm starting to get really hungry. Try what's right." She turned her back to him. "This sucks!"

"Well, you're just outside the capital of Konan if that helps any…"

"A little…I guess…" She slumped against a tree. "I don't know what to do though…I don't even know who you are."

"My name is Tamahome." After he said his name, she finally got a chance to look at him. He was tall with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. He wore white pants and a teal shirt.

"I'm Kohana…nice to meet you…"

"Well Kohana, I can take you into town for some food if you want. I was going anyway." He offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Come on. You can't just walk around on your own around here." Tamahome offered her a hand.

Kohana got up off the tree. "You don't need to hold my hand. I'm lost, not crippled." She crossed her arms, her fear passed.

Tamahome rolled his eyes. "Okay…" He put down his hand. "You're quite the stubborn one."

"And?" Kohana gave him a funny look.

"Never mind…" Tamahome motioned for her to follow him. "So where are you from? I've never seen anyone dressed like you before."

Kohana looked at her clothes: jeans, sandals, a t-shirt and a bandana in her hair. "Let's just say 'far away' and leave it at that…"

Tamahome looked her over and seemed to accept her explanation. They left the forested area and headed into the city. As they walked to a small inn for a meal, people stared nonstop at Kohana. She did her best to shrink behind Tamahome, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.

He led her to a table and they sat down. "Don't you think you could have worn something that attracts less attention?"

She glared at him. "Do I look like I have any other clothes on me?"

He ignored her comment. "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever you have is fine. I'm not that picky."

Tamahome ordered two house specials. "Why were you crying out there?"

Kohana propped her chin in her hands. "What is this? 20 questions?" She mumbled.

"What?"

"Never mind…I was…the person I was with left…disappeared really. She didn't know any more about this place than I do, but it would have been nice to have someone to be lost with…"

"She disappeared?" Tamahome raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask. I don't know what happened. She was there one second, then she was gone."

"I see…" He looked like he was on the verge of saying something else when their food arrived.

They ate silently. Tamahome finished first. "You know, I'd like to be of more help, but I don't know if I can."

Kohana fiddled with her chopsticks. "Thanks but I wouldn't know where to start either so it doesn't really matter. I'll figure something out."

Tamahome stood up. "I've got work to do here. You gonna be okay on your own?"

"Yeah…don't worry about me." She waved him off.

Tamahome lingered for a moment, concerned about her. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Suddenly she thought of something. "Oh wait. One thing."

"Yeah?"

Kohana pulled a pair of earrings off her ears and offered them to him. "Here. For the trouble. I think they're gold. Even if they aren't, they could pass for gold."

"It's really no trouble, Kohana." He did really want them though.

"No. Take 'em. They were cheap. I'll get new ones if I ever find my way back home." She put them into his hand, refusing to take no for an answer.

He stared at them for a moment then back at her. "Well, see you around."

"Maybe…" She stared at her unfinished food. "See ya."

He lingered for a moment then left. Kohana ate a little more then got up to leave. _'I guess this is the part where I become a priestess…Baba, why didn't you tell me this would happen?'_ When she reached the door, a tall man missing a few teeth blocked her way. She cringed. "Let me though."

"Oh, what's your rush cutie? Stay awhile." He grabbed her chin.

She pulled back immediately. "I have places to be."

"Funny. I heard you tell that guy you were with you didn't know what you were doing around here." Another man, probably a friend of Mr. Dental Hygiene, grinned at her.

Kohana desperately tried not to make a face. "Haven't you ever heard of lying? I'm sure you've done it before."

She immediately regretted her words. The first man's hand went to a jagged blade at his waist. The next few moments were chaos. People around the room got up to run. Kohana shut her eyes and felt a scream stuck in her throat. She saw a flash of silver and a flash of red. A dead silence fell over the room as metal clattered to the floor.

Kohana opened her eyes, expecting to see Tamahome's teal shirt, but no. She saw a man in red, taller than Tamahome and holding a sword. "She asked nicely. Leave her alone."

* * *

"'The young woman stared in awe at her savior. He had cut the blade off the ruffian's sword in one clean swipe. She didn't know who he was, but she was grateful for his help. He didn't turn around when he told her to move out of the way. She was too shocked to argue and moved back for cover'" Momo stopped reading for a moment when she heard something in the hall. After it had passed she continued reading. "'The young man made quick work of the rest of the ruffian's friends when they attacked. Their brute strength couldn't compare to the young man's speed and skill…'"

Momo breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness she's okay…wait, what am I saying? It's like I really believe she's in there…I must be going nuts…but this is a good story… 'The young man walked over to the woman he had saved and asked if she was unharmed. Her heart began to race and her voice was lost when her eyes met with a startling gold color…'"

* * *

-Shadow Hawk


	2. The Priestess Wears Pants

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 2: The Priestess Wears Pants**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

**Rewrite part two. I hope there aren't too many discrepancies because of this. If anyone notices any big one, please tell me and I'll try to smooth them over.**

* * *

Kohana stared in shock at the most beautiful, well only, pair of golden eyes she'd ever seen. The man who rescued her looked a little older than Tamahome, certainly older than Kohana, and very handsome. His long chocolate brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail with a few stray strands hanging around his face.

"Miss, I asked if you were alright."

His voice snapped her out of her trance. "Um…yeah…I'm fine…thank you…" She blushed.

"I'm glad. But you shouldn't anger men like that."

"No one talks to me like that where I'm from…though that is the first time I've ever had a weapon drawn on me…" She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Come on." He offered her his hand. "You probably shouldn't hang around here now." He looked back at some of the men he's knocked over.

"I guess not…" She walked beside him but didn't take his hand. "I'm Kohana. Thanks again."

"Kohana…" The way he repeated her name made her blush. "I am Hotohori. It was no trouble at all."

She almost tripped at his name. _'Hotohori? Another seishi? Wow he's cute…I wonder if he's the emperor…'_ His hand on her arm yanked her back into reality.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah…it's been a long day I guess…" She blushed again.

"I'm guessing you need a place to stay."

"Yeah…but I don't have any money so I probably won't be able to find a place."

"I think I know a place you could stay."

"You do?" She looked hopeful but was skeptical.

"Come with me." He led her to a small shop on a busy street. After speaking to the woman in the shop he came back to her. "Stay here. Someone will come for you later today."

"But how do I know they came from you?"

"The woman here knows all of my associates. She knows who to let you go with."

She stared at the floor then at him. "Alright…I'll see you again though, right?"

Hotohori nodded and gave her a short kiss on the cheek. "Later tonight most likely."

She watched in silence as he disappeared back into the crowded streets. The woman inside smiled. "Would you like some tea Miss?"

"Huh? Oh…umm…no thank you…" She went deeper into the house. "Umm…who is he?"

"Hotohori?"

"Yes. Is he a rich noble or something?"

"Miss, he's more than a rich noble. He's our emperor. A very kind man to all his people." She smiled.

Kohana's jaw dropped. "Emperor?! But he's so young!"

"He was next in line after his brother. He's been the emperor for about 5 years."

"Oh…" Kohana was silent again.

"Where are you from child? It seems our customs are foreign to you." The woman let her sit in a chair.

"Far. Very far…" Kohana answered, looking out the window.

"Interesting…" She looked thoughtful. "Maybe you are her…"

"Her who?"

"The priestess of Suzaku. A young woman from a far away land dressed in strange clothes that comes at a time of great need. I'd say you're a good candidate."

"A time of need? Is something wrong here?"

"Our relationship with Kutou has always been strained, but it's been getting worse lately. Hotohori wants to avoid war, but it seems to be less and less possible every week."

"Oh…" Kohana and the woman spent the next couple hours talking about Konan and it's history. The sun was beginning to set when a girl, no older than Kohana came into the shop.

The only differences between her and Kohana were the clothes and the face that the girl's eyes were green while Kohana's were blue.

"Lady Kohana, the emperor sent me here to bring you to the palace."

"The palace? Why there?" Kohana didn't move from her chair.

"Lady Kohana, I already told you he suspects you're the priestess. And it's for your own protection. You've attracted some unwanted attention today." The woman pulled her up. "This is Piaoliang Feng. She'll be your maid at the palace."

"Maid? I don't want a maid!"

Piaoliang seemed unaffected by her protests. "The emperor is expecting you for dinner. I'll be in trouble if you're late."

"Fine…I don't believe this…" She grudgingly said good bye to the woman and left with the other girl. "Are you really supposed to be my maid?"

"Yes ma'am. That's my job."

"So you'll have to do what I tell you to right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then please…don't be my maid…be my friend."

"Excuse me?" Piaoliang stopped her unrelenting course to the palace to face Kohana.

"I'm alone in a place I don't understand at all…I don't need a maid…I need someone to help me. I'm asking you girl to girl." Her eyes locked with Piaoliang's. "I'm terrified right now. I'm so overloaded and I've only been here a few hours…"

Piaoliang stared at Kohana. "I could get in so much trouble for this…but alright…I'll do my best."

Kohana smiled. "Thank you. And I'll make sure you don't get in trouble."

They went back up to the palace together. Piaoliang took her to a bedroom where a rather complicated outfit was laid out on the bed.

Kohana gave Piao a funny look. "Do I have to wear that?"

"You don't wear clothes like this?" Kohana opened her arms and gestured to her clothes. "Oh…guess not…well, I'll help you get into it. Can't say it's easy, that's for sure…"

After what seemed like hours of arguing and screaming, Kohana was finally in the dress. Piao did her make up and hair and let her see herself in the mirror.

Kohana stated at her reflection in shock. "I don't even look like me!"

"Welcome to noble life." Piao sighed.

"Do I always have to dress like this now?" Kohana lifted up the edge of her skirts and tried to walk around.

"Goodness I hope not." She laughed and grabbed Kohana's arm when she almost fell over. "You're not cut out for this."

"No…I'm not am I?" She pushed a piece of hair back into place. "Let's get this over with. You'll be in the dinning room too right?"

"Unless the emperor dismisses everyone. Sometimes he likes to eat alone…he's like you in a lot of ways…"

"Like me? How?"

Piao bit her lip. "Maybe I shouldn't say…"

"Hey, I won't tell him you said anything. Now you've got me curious!"

"Okay, okay…" She quickly looked at the door, wondering if someone would come in and catch her. "Hotohori has been the emperor for about five years…but he never wanted to. He prefers being among the people and being a normal person. Everyone in the palace has a fit when he disappears."

"He runs out?" Kohana asked, very amused.

"Most of the younger people in the palace would rather be doing just about anything else that hang around here."

"So why do you stay?"

Piao blushed. "I have my reasons…" She grabbed Kohana's arm. "Come on. Dinner should be ready soon."

Kohana hobbled after her. "Come on! Why'd you come here?"

"It's not important right now." Piao didn't look at her.

Kohana wrinkled her nose, but didn't press further because Piaoliang had brought her to the dinning room already. "Smells good."

She opened the door and led Kohana inside. The dining room was vast and mostly empty but for Hotohori sitting at the far end and a few guards and servers. Kohana saw him brighten when she got to her seat.

She looked around the large room. "Awfully big room for just a couple people…" She looked to Piao for help but the young maid had already put a lot of distance between herself and the emperor, afraid of breaking some rule or another.

"I'm hoping more people will be here soon." Kohana marveled at how different Hotohori looked now than when she'd met him earlier. His robes looked as uncomfortable as hers and his hair was pulled up tightly from his face.

Kohana avoided looking at him by looking down at her food. "The woman in that shop told me you think I might be the priestess of Suzaku…"

"I'm hoping I'm right…we need our priestess."

Kohana sighed and looked up at him for the first time. "I would like to help you Hotohori…but I don't know if I can…I'm not a particularly special person…"

"I think you are. You wouldn't have come to us if you weren't." He smiled kindly at her.

Kohana blinked and blushed, thankful the makeup on her face hid it a little. "I don't know…you're not asking me to decide now, are you?"

"No. I understand it would be a large burden on your part. You can say no." Kohana shifted in her seat. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No…actually, it's really hard to breathe in these clothes…I've never worn anything this tight." She pulled at the fabric, desperately trying to give herself some breathing room. "I would be so much happier in pants and a shirt…" She tugged until the both heard something rip.

Piaoliang and some other attendants looked mortified wondering what happened. Kohana let out a sigh of relief. Something inside the dress had ripped and loosened considerably. "Much better."

Hotohori chuckled. "Perhaps we'll let you dress how you want at meals from now on."

Kohana pushed a stray piece of hair back into place. "Only if you wear comfortable clothes too. You look as uncomfortable as I do."

He absently tugged at the slightly ruffled collar. "That easy to see?"

She nodded. "Yeah…and it looks like that thing on your head is ripping your hair out." She picked up her napkin and wiped off some of the makeup on her face. "This is uncomfortable too."

He nodded. "It is. But I can't take it off."

Kohana stared at him for a moment then quickly reached out and yanked the small box crown off his head. The whole room fell into shock. Kohana shrugged. "What? You said you couldn't take it off so I did."

Hotohori laughed. "That's one way to break the rules." He turned to everyone else in the room. "You are all dismissed."

Kohana looked back at Piao who only shrugged and left the room with the others, unable to do anything else. Now she really was uncomfortable. "Umm…why did you…?"

"There is something I must tell you in private. Call it my last plea for you to consider being our priestess." He leaned over the table in order to get closer to her. "Today…when I saw you in that inn…I just felt that you were the one who will save us…and I'm not one to ignore what I feel…" Kohana felt her heart racing. "You are the hope I…we need…"

Kohana certainly didn't miss his slip into a more personal plea. She broke gaze with him for fear she wouldn't be able to speak if she lost herself in his eyes any more than she already had. "I just don't know…no one's ever asked me to do something so important before…I don't know if I'm cut out for it…"

"You won't be alone…I will be by your side as one of your seven warriors." He showed her the mark on his neck. "I'm one of the Suzaku seishi."

"One of seven?" In the back of her mind she thought it was a stupid question, considering she already knew that. Telling Hotohori would only make him insist on her being the priestess more so than he already was.

He nodded. "We'd have to travel the country for the others: Tamahome, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mitsukake and Chiriko."

"Tamahome…that was the name of the guy I was with in the inn…he was the one who brought me into town…"

"Then you already have two found."

She looked down at the empty plate in front of her. "Can I go lie down? This isn't what I expected to happen when I woke up this morning. I fell into some other world…got attacked by some creeps…got asked to save a country…"

"I understand. I've got other things to attend to." They both got up.

"I'll give you a decision later tonight, okay?" She walked out of the room to find Piao right outside the door. "Piao!"

"Did everything go okay? What did he say?" She hurried Kohana down the hall.

"Everything was ah…fine…he did ask me to be the priestess…"

"Well, what are you going to do?"

"I'm…not sure…I told him I'd think about it…" She pulled a comb out of her hair. "I don't know what to think right now…"

"Do you want to go take a bath? It's very relaxing."

"I guess…that doesn't sound too bad…there won't be a bunch of other maids in there, will there? I'd rather do it myself…"

"Well, alright…I'll go find some clothes for you to change into. Definitely pants this time. The seamstress is going to be so mad about the dress you wrecked during dinner."

"Oh, it was too small." Kohana waved her off. "Just tell me where the baths are."

"Down the hall on the right."

"Thanks." Kohana kicked off the shoes she was wearing, picked up the skirts and ran down the hall to the large bathroom.

* * *

About an hour later, Kohana came out feeling rested and relaxed. She had also made her decision about being the priestess. Piao had set out underwear and a robe to sleep in.

"You really don't need to comb my hair. I can do it myself." Kohana tried to swat her hand away.

"I know. But hair always looks better when someone else does it. You can't see that back of your own head." She tossed a towel over Kohana's head and began to dry her hair. "Did you have time to think about the emperor's question?"

"Yeah…it's really the only thing that's been going through my head. I think I've made a decision…"

Piao stopped for a moment. "You think? Lady Kohana…you have to be sure. If you think you might reconsider…maybe you should keep thinking."

"Stop calling me Lady Kohana. Sounds ridiculous." Kohana stared at herself in the mirror. "But you are right…this isn't something I can keep changing my mind about…but I have made a decision. I know what I'm going to do."

After Piao was satisfied with how dry Kohana's hair was, she picked up a comb. "So what's it going to be? Will you stay and help us?"

She nodded. "I will…I'll stay and be the priestess…Hotohori told me that he felt like I was the one…and I feel like it's the right thing to do. And there are even other reasons beyond that that I don't want to mention at the moment…" _'This is Ni-chan's home…it would be like turning my back on him if I said no…this is my chance to help the gods that helped my family…'_

Piao combed out her hair and loosely tied it back. "I'm really happy to hear you say that. We need someone like you around here."

"Well, I hope I can live up to everyone's expectations…"

"I'm sure you will."

Kohana nodded. "Well, I should tell Hotohori right?"

Piao looked her over. "Well, yeah…but you're already just about ready for bed. You're not really dressed for talking to him…"

"So? I don't think he really cares any more than I do." She shrugged and stepped into a pair of slippers.

Piao opened her mouth to protest then stopped. She already knew there was no point in arguing with Kohana. "Okay. Follow me."

They walked down the hall in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Piao stopped in front of a rather grand looking door and cautiously knocked.

A voice Kohana wasn't familiar with answered. "Who is it?"

"Lady Kohana would like to speak with His Highness…"

The door slid open. A tall young man with dark red hair and hazel eyes was the only other person in the room with Hotohori. He moved out of the doorway and motioned for Kohana to come in. "My lady…"

Kohana went in Hotohori's room and turned around to see if Piao was still behind her. But she was still standing in the hallway. "I have some other work to do…I'll see you in the morning Kohana…" Kohana noticed her look at the other man and blush just before she hurried away down the hall. She raised an eyebrow but turned back to Hotohori as the other man left the room.

"Who was that?"

"A friend of mine. He's been here for the past couple of years. About as long as Piaoliang has been here I believe."

"You didn't really have to send Piao to take care of me…"

"It's the way we do things." He offered her a chair. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah…" She passed on the chair and took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about what you asked me…"

"Have you come to a decision?" He turned to her, an unquestionable look of hope in his eyes.

"Yeah…I'll do it…"

"You will?"

"Uh huh…" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know if I'll be any good at being a priestess…but I'll try…"

In the blink of an eye, Kohana found herself in Hotohori's right embrace. Blood rushed into her cheeks when she realized that not only was she only in a robe, but he was dressed like her. If anyone were to see them, goodness knows what they'd think. But she couldn't resist his embrace and she wrapped her arms around him.

"You don't know what hearing you say that means to me…" Hotohori whispered in her ear, only making her blush deeper.

"I'll do whatever I can to help…" She reluctantly let go of him as his grip eased on her.

"What made you change your mind? At dinner it seemed you would say no…"

"I just needed some time to think…and I realized that I have a reason…or two…to stay." She smiled at him.

He smiled back. "Whatever it was, I'm glad it exists." His face was very close to hers and Kohana lost herself in his eyes. He leaned closer to her and kissed her deeply.

Kohana was surprised but made no effort to stop him. "Hotohori…"

He distanced himself from her. "I'm sorry…that was inappropriate of me…"

Kohana blushed again. "It's okay. Half the things I've done around here have been inappropriate so what difference does it really make?"

Hotohori chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair. "Kohana…you're everything I dreamed the priestess would be and more…"

Her eyes shifted to the ground. "You sure do know how to flatter a girl…"

"It's not flattery…it's the truth." He murmured. "Come, I'll take you back to your room and we'll search for Tamahome in the morning."

Kohana nodded, reminding herself that other seishi existed and she couldn't just hang out with Hotohori in the palace. "Alright…it's been a long day after all…" She couldn't help but yawn. Kohana would have liked to stay up with the handsome young emperor, but she couldn't deny how tired she really was.

* * *

Kohana awoke with a gasp. "Wow…I had the weirdest dream…" She murmured to no one in particular.

"About what Kohana?"

Kohana jumped when she heard Piao speak. She looked up to see the young woman holding a set of clean clothes in her arms. "Never mind…guess it wasn't a dream…" She ran her hands through her messy hair. "I really am here…"

"You thought you dreamt coming here?" Piao handed her a comb and the clothes.

She nodded. "This is just so weird…" She looked at her clothes. "Oh do I have to wear a skirt?" She pouted.

"Yes. You can wear pants as much as you want around here but you're going out with the emperor today. You should try to blend in at least a little bit."

"Going out with…?"

"Yes. Into town, remember? You speak as though I meant something else…" Piao gave her a curious look.

"Well…in my world…'going out with' someone is like…like the first step in courting someone…" Kohana kicked off the blankets and took the clothes behind a changing screen.

"You have strange expressions in your world…" Piao make Kohana's bed up.

"Yeah…I guess we do…" She stepped out again looking almost exactly like Piao. "How do I look?"

"Normal." Piao watched Kohana comb out her hair and pull it into a bun. "You can go through town without being noticed now."

"I guess that's better than being attacked."

"Hotohori's waiting in the courtyard. You'll probably get breakfast in town."

"Okay." Kohana rushed down to the court yard and found Hotohori near the doors dressed in the same clothes she'd met him in.

He smiled when he saw her, recognizing her immediately despite her clothes. "Good morning Kohana. Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough. Let's go." She slipped her arm through his and they headed into town.

After breakfast at the same place they had met the day before, they started looking around for Tamahome. Kohana was thankful not too many people around had hair like Tamahome's.

After only about an hour of searching they found Tamahome in another small inn. She slowly walked over to him with Hotohori close behind her. "Tamahome?"

He swallowed and looked up from his meal. "Do I know you?"

"Tamahome, it's me, Kohana. We just met yesterday."

"Oh yeah. You. What do you want?"

"I need you to come to the palace with me…"

Tamahome laughed. "And why should I do that? What are you doing at the palace anyway?"

"She is the priestess of Suzaku, Tamahome." Hotohori snapped, practically ready to kill Tamahome for his disrespectful attitude.

Tamahome's eyes shifted to the tall man next to Kohana. "And you are?"

"This is Hotohori. The first of my seishi." She answered, holding onto the emperor's arm.

"Oh…well…okay then…I guess I can't really argue…I'll come…" He tossed some coins on the table and picked up his own bag. "Let's go."

* * *

Momo read silently in the dark corner of the room. She really had no idea how long she had spent reading the book. It wasn't until she heard an announcement that the library was closing that she even looked away from the book.

"Oh crap…what am I going to tell the others?" She snapped the book shut and went to the door. After making sure no one was around, she ran down the stairs. Only a couple of the girls from the group were left.

"Momo! Where the hell were you? Did you fall in the toilet? And where'd Kohana go? We sent her to look for you."

"I ummm…we were getting help from a librarian…and Kohana left a while ago…she had what she needed so she left. Yeah…and I've got what I need so I'm gonna go too." She grabbed her jean jacket off the back of her chair and ran out of the library, clutching _The Universe of the Four Gods_ under her jacket.

She ran all the way home, not thinking about anything but the book and Kohana.

* * *

-Shadow Hawk


	3. Homesickness Has Its Good Points

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 3: Homesickness Has Its Good Points**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

To VanyD - I'm not sure I exactly followed what you said in your review. Kohana did realize Hotohori was a man after she found out his name. I did call him a her a couple more times on accident, but went back and tried to fix that up after reading your review. Is that what you're referring to? Tell me if I'm wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana stared out the window in her palace bedroom. It had been a few days since Hotohori told her about the legend of the priestess and her seishi. She wondered if she was up to it. _'Am I really cut out to be a priestess? I'm only 16…can I save a country? I mean…sure I've accidentally summoned a couple seishi…but summon a god? I wish nee-chan was here…'_ She sighed and turned from her window. She looked at her dresser. There were a few odds and ends from her world. She grabbed a lollypop and unwrapped it. "Mmmm. Cherry." She smiled to herself and started eating it. 

She left her room and started walking down the hall. As she walked, she bumped into Tamahome. "Sorry." She said, though her words were muffled by the candy.

"What?" Tamahome blinked.

She took the sucker out of her mouth. "I said 'sorry.'"

"What is that thing?"

"A lollypop."

"A what?"

She opened her mouth to repeat the word then stopped. "It's sugar. That's all." She replaced the candy and kept walking.

Tamahome watched her with interest. "Hey wait up!"

"What?" She stopped and turned back to him.

"I was hoping you'd tell me some more about you world." He said with a cheesy grin.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I was curious." He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Look, maybe later…I'm not in the mood for talking. I just feel like taking a walk." She pushed his arm off her shoulder and walked away.

His face fell. He wasn't used to being blown off by anyone.

Kohana continued walking. She let out another long sigh. Homesickness had really set in. She didn't want to talk about home for fear it would get worse. She'd been away from home for longer than a few days, but she always had a way to communicate with her family. Now she was completely cut off. The only person who knew where she was now, she didn't get along with. 

Tamahome wasn't making things any better. He seemed to be everywhere, trying to get close to her, asking her about her world. She didn't want to think about that. She just wanted to smack him and run off. She wanted to be alone to cry once in a while, but he made that impossible for her.

Kohana walked down to the gardens. It was empty most of the time so when she felt homesick she would go there and practice a few gymnastic moves or just relax.

She wasn't so lucky this time. There were people in the garden this time. One she knew was Piaoliang. She was there with a young man who stood almost a head taller that her. He wore minimal armor and no weaponry. 

_'Must be an off duty guard…Piaoliang's boy friend perhaps?'_ She could see how happy Piaoliang was to talk with this young man with dark red hair. Her homesickness forgotten, she began to approach. Their conversation seemed to be finishing up as she approached them. The young man smiled and reached a hand to the maid's face. His hand rested on her cheek for a moment before he left her alone. Piaoliang was too occupied watching him leave to notice Kohana coming up behind her. 

"Who's the cutie?" She asked rather loudly, making the other girl nearly jump out of her skin.

"Lady Kohana! Please don't do that!" The young maid tried to breathe deeply.

"Sorry. Are you back to calling me Lady again? I'd really prefer it if you didn't."

Piaoliang lowered her head. "You're the priestess of Suzaku now, my lady. I can't be so informal."

"Come on! I thought we were past that! Please don't treat me special. I don't like it."

"Well…I can try…" 

"Good. So tell me, who's the guy? You like him?"

Piaoliang blushed. "N…no…nothing like that. He's…a friend…"

"Friends don't touch each other's face like that. Tell me more. What's his name? How do you know him?"

"His name's Shen Yuan…we grew up together…we were neighbors…" She smiled fondly at the memories. "He always looked out for me…we were good friends…then a couple years ago he decided he wanted to become a palace guard so he came here…"

"You followed him didn't you?" She smirked.

"I…I did not! My parents decided it would be best for me to come to the capital and work." She blushed. "It happened to be that we left the village at the same time!"

Kohana waved her lollypop in Piaoliang's face. "Ah, ah, ah. Fess up. You like him. Maybe even more if I'm not mistaken."

Piaoliang lowered her head. "Was I that obvious?"

"Yes and no. Any one could see you like him, but I'm very good at understanding people's emotions. People can't hide from me."

"You have to promise not to say anything."

"Why?"

"I don't want him to know…"

"What?"

"I don't think he cares about me that way. I'm just like a little sister to him…" She closed her eyes. "It's a one sided thing…"

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Shen can have any woman he wants for a wife. All the girls in our village want to marry him. And now he's gotten really high in the ranks here. He's one of the emperor's best guards even though he's so young. He's also pretty good friends with the emperor. He was probably one of the guards out with the emperor that day you and Tamahome were captured. I don't stand a chance so I try to be happy with being friends with him…"

Kohana wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on now. I saw the way he touched your face. He doesn't think of you as just a friend…"

She shook her head. "N…no…you're wrong…Shen and I will only ever be friends. I'll never tell him how I feel. He doesn't need to know."

"Piaoliang…you can't hold it in like that. One day being friends won't be enough. If you love him, you should tell him."

"And what happens when he doesn't feel the same way?"

Kohana wrinkled her nose. "You know, if you still carry the memories of your childhood with him and they mean something to you, they probably mean something to him too! You're selling yourself short."

"Maybe there is something between us, I don't know, but I'm not a risk taker. I…I won't risk my friendship with him because of some crazy idea of yours!" She snapped slightly. Though immediately shrank back. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to snap…"

"I don't mind."

"You don't?"

"No. I prefer it if you weren't afraid to snap at me. If I'm gonna be stuck here and be a priestess, I'd prefer it someone still treated me like a normal person. I don't like being treated so special. It's unnatural."

"You mean it's not the same for you back home?" Piaoliang asked with wide eyes.

Kohana blinked in confusion. Then she started laughing. "Why on Earth would I be treated like anything special back home? I'm just a regular kid. Hell, I probably so more work around the house than you do here at the palace. The workload's been even heavier since my sister got pregnant again. I cook, clean, do laundry, everything. There are no maids, we do our own work."

Piaoliang stared at her in shock. "Really?!"

"Well…yeah." Kohana shrugged. She didn't really understand why Piaoliang was so shocked.

"Your world is…strange…"

"Well, to you, sure. To me, it's this place that's weird." She crunched the lollypop and chewed on the stick thoughtfully.

"Are you alright?"

"I dunno…maybe, maybe not. Homesick, I guess…never been away this long without any way to call home…it comes and goes I suppose."

"Oh…maybe you should talk to the emperor."

"Why?"

"Well, there might be a way for you to go home without summoning Suzaku. He might know. And I'm sure His Highness wouldn't want you to be unhappy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kohana and Piaoliang started walking towards the main part of the palace.

"What? You don't see it?"

"See what?"

"Wow…you might not be as good at seeing other people's emotions as you thought." Piaoliang tapped her finger against her chin. "Or maybe you can't see it when someone else's emotions pertain to you."

Kohana's jaw dropped slightly, the stick barely in her mouth. "Wha…wha…what?!"

"You haven't seen the way Hotohori-sama's demeanor brightens when you're around?" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Kohana blushed. 

"I think you do." Piaoliang poked her. "You're blushing."

"I am not." She huffed and tried to hide her face.

Piaoliang started to laugh and pointed at Kohana. "You have a crush on the emperor!"

"I do not!" Kohana stuck out her tongue.

"It's perfectly fine to admit you know. Everyone gets a crush on him once at one time or another."

"Even you?"

"Well, yeah." Piaoliang shrugged. "For a while I thought he was better than Shen, I'm not ashamed to admit it. But I got over it. Most everyone does. The thing is that even with all women who have ever had an interest in him, he's never had an interest in any of them. It's really interesting that he's shown interest in you."

Kohana's blush deepened. "Shut up! That's so not true!"

"It is!" Piaoliang shoved her gently.

"No!" Kohana shoved back.

"You baby! Admit it!" 

As they walked, they got into a shoving fight. Their giggles and yells echoed in the halls as they ran around. Not keeping track of where they were in the palace, they ended up in the hall where Hotohori's chambers were. 

Inside Hotohori's room, he and Shen Yuan were having a conversation when they were interrupted by the girls. They looked at each other in confusion, then went into the hallway. 

The girls were too busy to notice the men for a moment. But when they saw both men, they sobered up and stood still.

Hotohori raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course!" They spoke at the same time. In fact, if it weren't for the difference in eye color and clothing, they could have been the same person.

"Are you sure?" Shen stared at Piaoliang.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." She smiled. Both girls were trying to stifle giggles. 

"Never better!" Kohana wrapped her arm around Piaoliang's should. "Now if you'll excuse us. Let's go!" The priestess dragged the maid away from the men and no sooner did they vanish from sight did the laughing and yelling start up again. 

Shen was a bit disappointed to see his long time friend run off so fast. Hotohori watched him. 

"You haven't told her?"

Shen shook his head. "I don't really plan on it…"

"Why not?"

"I've treated her as my sister for all my life. I didn't think I'd end up falling in love with her. She's always seen me as a brother and friend. Why would that ever change?"

"She's a young woman now. Her feelings can change. Yours certainly have." Hotohori patted his friend's shoulder.

Shen smiled. "Thank you for your words, Hotohori-san. Have you told Lady Kohana of your feelings?"

Hotohori sighed. "No."

"Why?"

"I don't want to make history repeat itself…"

"Excuse me?"

"My grandfather had feeling for his priestess, but she didn't return them. Not in the way he would have liked anyway. He died for her. He never knew my father because of her." Hotohori shook his head. "It's best if I put my feelings out of the way."

"Hotohori, Lady Kohana isn't the miko your grandfather was in love with, nor are you your grandfather. There's always hope."

"Perhaps." Hotohori shrugged. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo tossed some things into her bag. The book was lying on her bed. She was planning on going to find Kohana. _'No one's gonna believe me…so I guess I'll just have to help her myself. Even if we don't particularly get along…I was the one that dragged her up there…I got her there…where ever there is…'_ She slung the bag over her shoulder and wrote a note to her parents. She needed a quiet place to try and enter the book again.

She headed outside and started walking down the street. It was getting late. No one had seen Kohana since that afternoon. She decided to head back to the library. It was closed, so no one would be around. No sooner did she reach the large pine tree in front of the library, did she hear someone from behind her.

"Momo?" She turned and saw Kohana's brother-in-law. He looked tired. 

"H-hi…" She clutched the book behind her.

"Where's Kohana?"

"I…I don't know…"

Tasuki gave her a funny look. "Momo…where is she? You were the last one with her. Ayame's getting very worried."

"I don't know where she is, okay?" She huffed. "I'd tell you if I did though."

Tasuki noticed something she was hiding behind her back. "What's that?"

"What's what?" She backed up.

"What are you hiding?" He reached for her.

"It's nothing." She continued to back up.

"Then why are you hiding it?"

"You're not my father. I don't have to answer to you."

"Let me see Momo." Tasuki grabbed her arm. 

"No!" She squirmed around. The book fell from her fingers and landed with a thud. 

They both stared at it. Tasuki looked at her again. "Where'd you find that?"

"None of your business!" She grabbed it.

He took a firm hold of it. "Tell me now. Where'd you find this book?"

"What's it matter to you?"

Tasuki sighed. "Kohana's in there, isn't she?"

Momo stared at him in shock. "Wha-what?"

"Answer the question. Kohana's in there isn't she?"

Momo bit her lip. "Yes. And I'm going to find her!" Tasuki was so taken aback by her words that he lost his grip on the book.

"What did you say?!"

It was too late though. She opened the book and it began to glow blue. The light engulfed the young red head and she was gone when the light died down.

Tasuki hissed. "Shit…" He picked up the book. "You gotta be kidding me…" He read a few pages and there was no doubt in his mind Kohana was in the book, fulfilling her destiny. "Ayame will not be happy about this…" He closed the book and tucked it under his arm. He was going to head home and try to explain things to his wife, but then stopped. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

~Hello?~

"Amiboshi…it's me."

~Hey Tasuki. Did you find Kohana? What's up?~

"Nothing good…"

~Did something happen to Kohana?~

"Yes…and that Momo girl."

There was a pause on the other end. ~What…what happened?~

"Remember when Tai Itsukun said Kohana would become a priestess?"

~Oh no…~

"I see I don't have to say anything else…"

~Do you have the book?~

"Yeah…Momo just went in to find Kohana. I couldn't stop her."

~What color was the light?~

"Blue."

~Dammit…~

"Exactly."

~What are you going to tell Ayame?~

"Damned if I know. She'll kill me when she finds out I knew."

~Then don't tell her you knew.~

"I can't lie to my wife. She's pregnant."

~Want me to come over? Maybe the two of us would be better.~

"Yeah. Bring Ruri too. If Ayame goes off on me, Ruri might be able to calm her down.~

~Alright. We'll come over. Want us to pick you up?~

"Yeah…I'm at the library…"

~Alright. See you soon.~

"Right…" Tasuki hung up and stared at the book. "Are you really worth all the trouble?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana tossed and turned in her bed. Sleep wouldn't come. Every time she closed her eyes she'd see her sister and brother or Ruri and Amiboshi or her niece and nephews or some other person that made her want to go home. She was afraid to close her eyes for fear of who would show up next. 

She threw back her covers in disgust and left her room. Maybe a walk would make her tired enough to go to sleep despite her homesickness. She tightened the belt on her robes and slipped on a pair of shoes. 

The moon was nearly full and lanterns around the palace kept her from getting completely lost. 

Her first thought was to look for a midnight snack. It used to help her fall asleep. Then she realized she'd have to go past Tamahome's room to get to the kitchen. She didn't want to risk waking him up. He wouldn't make things any better.

So she headed in the other direction towards the gardens. _'I wonder if I spend to much time there…'_ But she pushed the thought from her mind and went anyway. 

She paid no attention to whether or not anyone else was there and sat on the rail in the gazebo. She stared up and the moon and stars. _'So much brighter here than back home…'_ She wished she hadn't thought that. Tears came to her eyes at the thought of home. She swallowed hard and sighed. 

A loud voice broke her train of thought. "Who's there?!"

It scared the crap out of her. She tumbled off the railing to the floor of the gazebo, landing with a dull thud and covered her head with her hands. She could see someone standing in the darkness with their hand on what looked like the handle of a sword. "Don't hurt me!" She squeak, too scared to say anything else.

She tried to curl herself into a smaller ball when she heard approaching footsteps. "Kohana?" A hand touched her arm.

Her muscled tensed and she peeked through her fingers. She immediately relaxed. Hotohori was crouched over her, looking as though he was holding in a laugh. "Uh…good evening?" She slowly lowered her arms.

He smiled and helped her up. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you."

"I…I'm fine." She took a deep breath. She tried to calm down. Her heart stopped racing, but now she had the tears to worry about.

"What are you doing up this late?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd take a walk. Why are you up?"

"The middle of the night if usually the only time I have to myself."

"Oh. Okay. I'll leave if you want some time alone." She straightened out her robe.

"No. Don't." He cursed himself when he grabbed her arm. He'd promised himself he wouldn't do anything like that. He didn't want to fall for her anymore than he already had.

Kohana blushed. "Uh…okay…" She stood still. It was then that Hotohori noticed her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Were you crying?"

"What? No. Not me. Just…something was in my eye and it hurt…" She rubbed her eyes, trying to make her story look better."

"Kohana, what's wrong?" He looked worried.

She turned away from him. "It's nothing important."

"If it makes you cry I think it is."

"Well…I just…I couldn't sleep. And I was gonna get something to eat, it used to help me go to sleep. But then I didn't want to wake Tamahome up so I came here…and then you accidentally scared me…"

"Why didn't you want to wake Tamahome up?"

"Because he drives me insane."

"He drives you insane?"

"Yeah. Every single friggin' time I see him he asks me about where I'm from. I don't want to think about it right now!" She clenched her fists and swallowed again. "I don't want to think about home!"

It dawned on Hotohori what she meant. "You're homesick…"

"Yes! And he doesn't understand that!" Her tears were starting to fall. "When I think about my sister and my brother and my little nephew I just…I wanna go home dammit!" She held onto the rail for support. "He thinks he's being nice or something when he's only making me miserable!" She let out a sob. "There are only so many people I'll cry in front of and he's not one of them."

"Have you told him you want him to stop asking or that you're homesick?"

"No. I don't feel comfortable telling him my feelings. He wouldn't understand."

"But you feel comfortable around me?" He inched closer to her.

Kohana took a deep breath and attempted to hide a blush. "Well…yes…you don't try to force things out of me…I feel comfortable letting you know how I feel. I feel closer to you than I do to him. I don't know what it is about you…"

He smiled. It was like some weight had left his shoulders. "Kohana?"

"Yeah?" She wiped her tears away.

"Where do you see yourself in the future?"

She looked at him for a moment confused. "Well, I'd like to think I'd be happily married to the man of my dreams…a couple of kids maybe…I dunno."

"Do you think you'd know that man if you met him?"

"Maybe…I think…never mind…"

"What?" They weren't standing very far from each other at this moment.

"Never mind. It's silly." She shook her head.

"Please?" He smiled kindly at her.

She blushed. "Well…don't laugh…but when I was 6, I asked my older sister what it's like to fall in love and meet that person you'll spend the rest of your life with…she said you just know. Maybe not the first time you meet them, but you'll know sometime. And I think if I meet that person…I'll just…you know…know." She looked up at him, waiting for him to laugh at the idea. 

He didn't. He continued to smile. "It's a nice thought."

"Do you have any thoughts on love?"

"Emperors don't marry for love."

"Emperors can do what they want." She smiled.

"Not always." He murmured. "Have you ever felt that you've meet that person?"

She found herself trapped by his soft golden eyes again. "Just once." She murmured back.

"When?" He slowly began to close the distance between their lips.

"Now." She whispered and let him embrace her. He gently pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered shut and he became her world. There was nothing else at that moment.

He was absolutely intoxicated by her scent. It was the same as when he had held her bandana in his hands. He loved it. His hope lived again now that he knew she had strong feelings for him as well. 

He slowly released her. She stared up at him with wide eyes, wondering if he had really just kissed her. She'd never had a kiss like that. She'd had a couple of boyfriends that she cared for dearly, but neither of them had ever made her feel the way Hotohori just had.

"Kohana…" He whispered. "If you go home to visit, would you come back?" He held her right hand in his left.

"Y…yes…I said I'd be your priestess…I meant it." Her head was still spinning.

"We'll begin looking into getting you home in the morning."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Can you get back to your room all right?"

"Can you walk me back?

"Of course."

Still hand in hand, Hotohori led Kohana back to her room.

"Thanks again."

"I'm here for you Kohana."

"I know."

She was a bit sad when her walk with him ended. She knew she was falling in love with him. She felt something when she was around him that just felt right. 

She gave him a hug before he left her alone. She closed her door and went back to her bed. She sighed and stared at the ceiling. She felt a lot better than she had about half an hour before hand.

Her homesickness was still there, but it didn't seem so bad anymore. _'Homesickness isn't always bad…I did just get the greatest kiss of my life…'_ She smiled to herself and sleep claimed her almost immediately. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So how's it looking? I need completely honest feed back people. Don't sugar coat! If it sucks really bad, tell me and tell me how to fix it. Please?

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	4. Family Comes First

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 4: Family Comes First**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Ayame grabbed her husband by the collar.

"Ayame! Calm down!" Ruri grabbed her friend's arm in an attempt to pull her off Tasuki.

"No! Not until someone tells me why my little sister is in the book!" She gritted her teeth.

"Ayame…Kohana was destined to be a priestess. She's fulfilling her destiny." Amiboshi said calmly.

"She's only 16."

"Our priestesses were 15." Tasuki made her sit down. "Please understand. There's nothing we can do until she summons Suzaku."

Ayame's anger left as soon as it came. She was now upset. "No…I refuse to believe that. I want my sister home. I don't need this now…" 

A cat watched everyone in the living room. Hime had grown up into a sleek, elegant cat rather than the mischievous little kitten it she used to be. Her white paws and tail still made her look a bit young though.

Her tail flicked back and forth as she entered the room. She hoped onto the seat next to Ayame and meowed. Ayame blinked in surprise. She stroked the cat's back, receiving a purr in gratitude. "Where'd you come from? Did you just walk in?"

Her tail flicked back and forth again and jumped to the table where the book sat. Everyone looked at Hime, then at each other. 

"You don't think Hime's from the book…do you?" Ruri looked at the book.

"It's possible…she was Tai Itsukun's kitten…" Amiboshi said thoughtfully.

Hime meowed again. Everyone stared at her while her tail swished back and forth on the cover of the book. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana yawned. Sunlight poured into her room. _'Another day…'_ She dragged herself out of bed and out of her room. Two says had passed since she kissed Hotohori. She'd been in a slight daze since then, but she still felt that desire to go home. Hotohori was looking into the matter, but hadn't found anything yet.

"Finally up, huh?" Kohana turned to see Piaoliang standing there with a basket in her hand.

"What do you mean 'finally'?"

"It's like the middle of the day. I was wondering if you were ever gonna get up."

She yawned again. "Whoops. Where are you going?"

"Into town. I have to buy some stuff."

"Can I come? I could use some time out of the palace."

"Sure. Might wanna change into something a little less…attention grabbing." Piaoliang looked over Kohana's jeans and t-shirt. 

"What? Oh, right. Hang on." A few minutes later, Kohana was wearing some average clothes. She looked pretty much identical to Piaoliang.

They left the palace together and headed into town. It was a pretty active day. Everyone was out. Street performers tried their best to attract people. Kohana just watched as Piaoliang fought with a few vendors over the prices of things. She would get her way with every one of them. Piaoliang put the fruit in her basket and Kohana blinked.

"What?"

"How is it you're willing to beat the crap out of a street vendor, yet you hardly ever say anything in the palace? And you refuse to tell Shen you love him. I don't get it."

Piaoliang rolled her eyes. "Do you have to bring him up? I don't want to talk about that. And I don't have to follow the same rules out here."

"I think you should act in there like you do out here."

"And get myself in more trouble than I could possibly imagine? Kohana, I don't know what classes are like in your world, but we don't work like that here."

"Well, you should." She huffed. 

"Well, we don't. And not even you can change that." Piaoliang poked her in the chest.

Before Kohana could say anything, something caught her attention. She started staring at something sitting on the roof of a house.

"What's wrong?" Piaoliang started looking for whatever Kohana was looking at.

"That cat…" Kohana saw a light brown cat with white paws and tail sitting high about them.

"It's probably just a stray. There're a lot of them around."

"No. I don't think so." Kohana started following the cat as it began moving.

"Kohana, come on. It's just a stupid cat." Piaoliang started after her.

"No it isn't." Kohana broke into a run. Piaoliang sighed and continued to keep the priestess in her sights. 

They ran up and down the streets of the capital after this one cat. After 15 minutes, the cat led them to a rather secluded part of town. The cat's tail swished back and forth.

"Hime?" Kohana approached the cat.

"Hime? Who's Hime?"

"My cat." Kohana held out her arms. "Come here sweetie." The cat meowed and jumped to her owner. "That's a good kitty. Now what are you doing here?"

"You talk to your cat?" Piaoliang looked around. She saw a bag on the ground. "What's that?" She picked it up. It didn't look like any bag she'd ever seen before.

"That's my gym bag…" Kohana put Hime down and took the bag. It was filled with clothes and other things from home. Sitting on top was a letter from Ayame. Kohana smiled with tears in her eyes as she read it silently. 

"What's wrong?" Piaoliang put her hand on Kohana's shoulder. 

"N…nothing." She stuck the letter back in. "Wanna go back to the palace now?"

Piaoliang was a little confused. "I…I guess so…"

Hime leapt onto Kohana's shoulder and she slung the bag over her other shoulder. "Then let's go."

They began to head back into town.

"Leaving so soon?" A voice from behind startled them.

They saw a rather nasty looking man behind them and when they turned to run, there were other men in front of them.

Kohana glared at Hime. "You always get me in trouble don't you?"

Hime's tail swished back and forth. 

"Kohana, this really isn't time to yell at a cat…" Piaoliang bit her lip.

The girls were backed up against each other. 

"Okay…maybe you're right…" Kohana looked around.

"Ladies, there's no need to be scared. We won't hurt ya if ya don't try 'nd get out." One of the men grabbed Piaoliang by the chin. "You're a cute one.

"Gross!" She shoved him away and smacked him over the head with the full basket. 

"Why you little!" He hissed and smacked her in the face. 

"Piao!" Kohana glared at the man. "You jerk!" She hauled the heavy bag off her shoulder and slammed it into the man that hit Piaoliang. 

The men were angry now. They were about to attack when someone whistled. Everyone looked to the side. 

"I take it no one every told you guys not to hit a girl." A guy was sitting on a wall, smiling. He had short dark blue hair that absently drooped over his green eyes. "They fight back."

"Who are you?"

"No one in particular." The boy hopped off the wall. 

"Then stay out of business that isn't yours!" One of the men rushed the boy, ready to beat his head in. He punched at the boy's head.

He suddenly froze.

Everyone gasped. In the blink of an eye, the boy had ducked under the outstretched arm and had his fist embedded in his stomach. He groaned and collapsed.

"Another quick tip. Don't fight with people you don't know." He grinned. "You'll be sorry."

"You little prick!" One of the other men pulled out a knife and lunged at the boy. The boy dodged, but didn't get completely clear of the knife. There was now a smooth cut in his shirt, right across the front of his chest.

"Hey! This was a good shirt!" The boy grabbed the wrist of the hand with the knife and squeezed. The man screamed in pain. The knife tumbled from his hand as Kohana thought she heard a bone crack.

"Kohana…look." Piaoliang elbowed her and pointed at the boy's chest. Something was glowing red on his chest, but it was too hard to see what it was.

"A…a seishi?" She whispered.

"Maybe…"

Other men continued to attack the boy, but he was too strong. Pretty soon, they were all on their backs groaning in pain. The boy looked at his shirt. "Wonder if I can get this fixed…" He said absently then looked up at the girls. "You two okay?"

They nodded. Kohana hoisted the bag back on her shoulder. "I'm Kohana, that's Piaoliang. Who are you?"

"You can call me Nuriko. If you two are alright, I'll just leave then." He nodded to them and turned away.

"Hey wait! You can't just go!" Piaoliang ran after him.

He blinked. "I can't?"

"You're a Suzaku seishi, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"She's the priestess!" Piaoliang pointed at Kohana. You have to come to the palace. She's gathering all the seishi."

"You are?"

"Sorta." Kohana shrugged. "She knows more than I do."

Nuriko looked Kohana over. "Well, you do look like that girl that made all that fuss in the market a while ago."

Kohana blushed. "Can I not relive that embarrassment?!"

He laughed. "Sorry." He shook his head. "Look, I know I've got duties or whatever as a seishi, but I can't go."

"Why not?! You have to." Piaoliang glared at him.

"I have to take care of my little sister. Our parents are gone and I take care her. I won't abandon her just because the priestess comes calling."

Kohana swallowed hard. There was a pain in her chest that felt like someone ripped her heart out. "How old is she?"

"About 12." He started walking away.

"Hey! Wait!"

"Don't Piao." Kohana grabbed her sleeve. "He can go…"

"He can?"

"I can?"

"Family comes first. Always." She started walking back towards the palace. "Let's go back, Piao."

Nuriko and Piaoliang blinked in surprise. "You're sure she's a priestess?"

"No." Piaoliang shrugged. "But she's gotta be from a different world at least."

Nuriko sighed. "Look, I'll walk you girls back to the palace. Just to make sure no one else comes around."

Nuriko and the two girls headed through the crowded streets back to the palace. Piaoliang and Nuriko made up most of the conversation. Piaoliang told him about the other seishi. Kohana was too busy with Hime and her bag.

When they reached the palace gates, Kohana asked Nuriko if he wanted to meet the other seishi and perhaps get another shirt. He agreed and they headed in. 

Kohana ran off to change clothes, complaining about how uncomfortable the dress she was wearing was. Piaoliang asked Nuriko to stay put for a bit while she went to find a shirt. 

Nuriko absently looked around. _'An Hua will be so jealous when she finds out I was in the palace today…'_ He smiled to himself. 

"And you are?" A voice from behind made him jerk. Hotohori, Shen Yuan and Tamahome were all looking at him. Tamahome looked ready to fight and the other two had their hands on their swords. 

He jumped back in surprise and held up his hands. "Whoa! Relax will ya? I'm Nuriko."

They all raised their eyebrows. "Nuriko?"

"Yeah." He continued to nervously back up. "I met up with those two girls in the market today."

Shen looked him over. "Two girls?"

"Yeah…Kohana and…um…Piaoliang I think."

"And what were you doing with them?" Shen was ready to jump down Nuriko's throat. 

"Shen!" Piaoliang was suddenly at his side, shirt in hand. "What are you doing?"

"I was…uh…" He was more than a little shocked that she was suddenly there.

"Never mind. Here you go Nuriko." She handed him the shirt. 

"Thanks." He slipped it on over the ripped one. "I'll bring it back when I get the ripped one fixed."

"Wait, if you're really a seishi, you should stay here." Hotohori spoke up.

"I can't. I have to go." Nuriko started walking.

"You can't just leave like that." Tamahome started after him.

"Leave him alone. Kohana says he can go back. She doesn't want him to leave his sister." Piaoliang stopped him.

The men looked a little confused as Nuriko started to leave. 

It was at that moment when Kohana came around the corner. Hime walked near her feat. The dress and sandals had been ditched in favor of jeans, a white t-shirt and platform sandals that made her about 3 inches taller. She had a pair of headphones on and a CD player at her hip. The volume was so loud everyone could hear the music she was listening to. 

She was singing along to the music, eyes closed, not caring who heard or saw her. "'Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight. Til tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight. And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be than here in my room, dreaming about you and me."

She didn't sing loud, but it was enough to make everyone, including Nuriko, stop and watch her for a moment of confusion and wonder. When she was a few feet away from Nuriko, she stopped and pulled her headphones off. "Nuriko?"

"Yeah?" He shook himself out of his surprise.

"Would you stay at the palace if your sister could stay here too?"

"Uh…" The question shocked him. "Um…I guess yeah."

She looked at Hotohori. "Can Nuriko bring his sister here?"

"I don't see a problem with it."

"R…really?" Nuriko brightened. 

"Of course." 

Nuriko bowed slightly. "Um…thank you very much, Your Highness." He left the palace.

Kohana put her headphones back on and continued walking and singing.

Hotohori and Tamahome left, leaving Shen Yuan and Piaoliang alone in the hall. She elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"What's with you? You looked like you were ready to kill Nuriko two seconds ago."

"I was not." He looked a little offended.

"Yes you were." She looked up at him. "Why?"

"I wanted to know why he was with you and Lady Kohana." He didn't meet her eyes when he spoke.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I wasn't sure he was being honest about being a seishi."

"You think Kohana and I would bring him here if we weren't completely sure? He was helping us."

"What did you need help with?"

Suddenly uncomfortable with the thought of letting Shen know how much trouble she'd been in, she fidgeted nervously. "Nothing much."

Something suddenly occurred to him. "Piao…"

"Yeah?"

"You said you were sure he was a seishi right?"

"Yeah…"

"To be sure, you'd have to see his symbol right?"

"Yeah…"

"Seishi symbols appear when they use their particular power. What made Nuriko's show up? Why was his shirt torn?" He'd already put two and two together in his mind and knew she'd been in trouble of some kind.

"Uh…" She turned away from him. "He was…he was…"

"He was what?" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She refused to look him in the face.

"Why can't you tell me?" He grabbed her chin and made her look at him. That made her wince. Her cheek still stung from getting hit. He let go and pulled his hand back, not wanting to hurt her. "Piao…" His voice was gentle and concerned. "Please…"

"We…got into some trouble when Kohana went chasing after a cat that turned out to be hers. Nuriko helped us out…"

"You were attacked…" He didn't sound happy while he gently moved her head. There were a few traces of red left on her milky skin where the attacker's hand hit her hardest. 

"I wouldn't call it attacked…" She saw the look in his eyes. "Okay…maybe I would…" She pulled away from him, even though she did like feeling his hand on her cheek. "Why do you care so much?"

_'I love you…' _"I…you're my friend, Piao. You always have been. I worry about you. Especially if you're hurt." 

"A friend. Of course. Never anything more." She muttered.

"What?" He looked confused. He hadn't heard everything of what she'd said.

"Nothing!" She snapped and walked off. "I've got…stuff to clean. Later!"

He blinked. _'Never anything more? Did I hear right? She sounded so mad…'_

Piaoliang frowned at herself. _'Oh! I can't believe you just did that! You almost broadcasted to the whole world that you want to be more than friends with him! He only sees you as a friend. Stupid!'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana dangled her leg out her window. She had a great view of the city. It was beautiful from up there. Hime was curled up in her lap, asleep. Letter in hand, she read it over and over again with her headphones on.

_'Kohana,_

_If you're reading this, I suppose Hime and the bag got to you in tact._

_How are you doing over there? Ruri, Amiboshi, Tasuki and I are keeping an eye on you from the book. No, Momo's not reading it anymore. She seems to be in it. Tasuki's pretty sure she'll be the priestess of Seiryuu. Be careful okay? _

_Tasuki thought about it for a while and thinks that you might be able to come home for a while if you go see Tai Itsukun. You'd have to ask Hotohori about how to get there though._

_And you better not do anything with Hotohori you'll regret later. Keep in mind I know about whatever you do with him. _

_I miss you a lot. The house seems so quiet without you, even with Houjun running around. I hope you can find a way home. _

_I hope you stay safe. _

_And get Piaoliang and Shen Yuan together. You're good at that kind of stuff._

_Nee-chan'_

The letter gave her a lot to think about. In some ways it made the homesickness less and in others it made her want to go home even more. The thought of Momo being her full-fledged enemy didn't bode well in her mind either. 

She decided to talk to Hotohori about Tai Itsukun later. It would be hard explaining how she knew Tai Itsukun, so she'd have to make up something. She didn't want to tell him her brother-in-law and his friend were former seishi. 

The thought of 4 people watching her from the book was definitely enough to stop her from doing much with Hotohori. It was rather unnerving. 

She missed her little nephew. She vaguely knew that Tasuki named his son after a friend from the book.

She smiled at the thought of playing matchmaker again. She hadn't done it in 10 years, but it couldn't be that hard to stick together a couple of people who she knew were in love. They just needed a small push in the right direction, that direction being into each other's arms.

There was a soft knock at the door that she couldn't hear. It was Hotohori. He came in anyway when she didn't answer. He touched her shoulder. "Kohana?"

She jerked in surprise and yanked her headphones off. "Oh! Hotohori! I'm sorry I didn't hear you!"

He smiled. "It's alright. I didn't mean to scare you…again." He added coyly.

She gave him a funny look. "Ha. Ha." Hime opened her eyes and stared at Hotohori, a little angry that he interrupted her nap by making Kohana move. 

"Where did that cat come from?" He scratched Hime's ears. She purred, no longer mad that her nap was over.

"She's my cat from my world. Her name's Hime. I guess she made it through the book. She came with a bag of stuff from my sister too. She has the book and is watching me from there."

"How do you know?"

She held up the piece of paper, making sure he couldn't read any of it though. "This is a letter from my sister, Ayame." She folded it back up and put it in the bag. "She said that in there."

"I see." He looked at the bag. "Are these things from your world making you feel any better?"

"Better and worse all at the same time. It's nice having them 'cause I can relax, you know? It makes me feel at ease. Yet at the same time, it makes me want to got home more 'cause it's…" Her voice faltered.

"Because it's home." He finished for her.

"Exactly." She let out a sigh. "God, am I glad you can finish my thoughts for me."

He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure something will come up. We'll find a way to let you return home."

"I know. Something will turn up." She looked up at him. "Thanks."

"Of course." He bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll leave you alone for now. I have some things to attend to."

"Sure." She nodded. "Gotta do what cha gotta do." She put the headphones back on after he left and began to root around in the bag for what else Ayame gave her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey girl, you dead or what?" Momo felt someone poking her in the shoulder. Her head was throbbing. She didn't have the energy to smack the hand away.

"That's not very nice." She groaned when another voice filled her head. It was too noisy.

"I don't see why you brought her here. She's just about dead."

"She was hurt. I'm not going to leave a hurt girl out in the forest."

"Would you both shut up?" Momo groaned. "You're both too loud."

"Sorry."

"Whatever."

Her eyes opened slowly. The room was pretty dim. A couple of small lanterns were the only sources of light. It seemed to be night. She thought she was seeing double when her vision cleared slightly. There were two identical brunette boys standing over her. She tried to rub her eyes.

One of the boys stopped her. "You're not seeing double." He knew that's what she was probably thinking. "We're twins."

"Oh…" She lowered her hands. "Ow…what happened? How long have I been out?"

"A day and a half or so. Now that you're awake, you can get out of my bed." The other one snorted.

"I can't even move yet!" She snapped back.

"You can move your mouth."

"Hey, relax you two. Ototo, be nice. She just woke up. You'll have to excuse him. He's never very nice." The older boy laid a piece of wet cloth across her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing hurts except my head. I don't want to move yet."

"You don't have to. Could you tell us your name?"

"Momo. Who are you and Mr. Grumpy Pants?"

The boy deemed Mr. Grumpy Pants made a face. "Shut up you little bi---"

The other boy cleared his throat. "That is Suboshi. I'm Amiboshi. It's nice to meet you Momo. Could you tell us why you were out in the forest?"

"Forest? Lemme think…" She closed her eyes. "I was heading towards the library with a book when my friend's brother found me…he tried to take it from me when a blue light came out of it. I screamed and got engulfed by the light…that's all I remember." She opened her eyes again. Amiboshi was looking at her with clear amber eyes.

"What the hell is a library?" Suboshi glared at her with eyes the color of the deep blue sea.

"What do you mean, 'what is a library?'" She started to get up. "Where am I now?"

"You're in a forest a few kilometers from the capital of Kutou. Did you lose your memory?" Amiboshi helped her rest against the wall.

It gave her a chance to look around. The house looked so antique. Her jaw dropped. "I'm in the book!"

"In what book?" Suboshi asked, warming up to her a little.

"The Universe of the Four Gods! The one I was reading with Kohana! Oh my God!" She threw the blankets back and got up with some difficulty. "I came here to find her."

"You're in no condition it do anything." Amiboshi said, worried.

"Screw my condition! I gotta find her." She stumbled towards the door.

Her legs didn't quite work right though and her knees buckled. Suboshi was closer and caught her. Their eyes met for a brief moment. "Yeah. Like you could make it out of the house." He picked her up and put her back on the bed. "Get some rest will you? Maybe it'll make you shut up and make some sense later." Suboshi left the room.

"Is he always like that?" Momo rubbed her head.

"Only when he likes someone."

"I'd hate to see it if he hated me." She grumbled.

"But he's right. You should get some rest. Your strength isn't back yet."

"Yeah…thanks." Sleep sounded like a good idea. She closed her eyes again and went back to sleep almost immediately, not caring about where she was, what was going on or finding Kohana again. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Should I put Momo with someone? There's already an opportunity for Momo/Suboshi, but I can easily change that. She could be with someone, stay single or get killed off. Okay, no. I wouldn't kill her off. Not so soon anyway.

Is the originality picking up? I'm really trying. I guess school's really draining me and my creativity. Damn, do I hate Junior year.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	5. Finding Warriors

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 5: Finding Warriors**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

Ugh. I'm not dead yet. Just slowly being murdered by schoolwork. You all understand right? I try my best, but believe me, the period between last chapter and this chapter will probably be the norm until I have some longer vacations.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo sighed as she walked around near the twin's house. Her strength had mostly come back, but not completely. Amiboshi encouraged her to stay inside and rest, but she was too stubborn to listen. She still really had no idea where she was. Amiboshi never had the time to completely explain this world to her and Suboshi never gave her more than a funny look or a snort.

She held onto a low branch and stared out into the forest. _'Why am I here? Why aren't I where ever I was with Kohana?'_

Another wave of exhaustion and nausea washed over her and she slumped against the tree. "Dammit…" She whispered. "Why aren't I getting better?"

"'Cause you're being stubborn and not resting, dumb ass." Suboshi slipped his arms under hers and helped her stand up. "Come on. Lunch is ready."

She frowned. "Stop calling me a dumb ass. I bet I'm smarter than you."

"Yeah right." He helped Momo back to the house and got her to sit at the table.

She stared at the food, but didn't make a move to eat it. Lunch was the last thing on her mind.

"What? Something wrong with my cooking?"

She jerked her head up. "N…no. It's not that. I just don't feel like eating."

"Aniki will kill me if you don't eat."

"Just tell him I ate then."

"I can't lie to my brother."

Momo stared out the window. "I'll try then…"

"Why do you always stare out the window like that?"

"Huh?"

"You stare out the window all day. Why?"

"Guess I'm just thinking about home…"

Suboshi looked up at her. "What's your home like?" It was a question that had been nagging him since he first saw her. There had never been a good time to ask though.

"What's it like? Um…" She wasn't sure how to explain it to him without making him think she was even more insane than he already did.

He waited for her to find the words. There were no funny looks or rude comments from him this time.

"It…it's very different from here…"

"Would you call it a completely different world?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Yeah…it is I guess. I can't explain it any other way."

"Maybe you are her then…"

"Her? Her who?"

"The girl of legend. The priestess of Seiryuu."

"Seiryuu?"

"The dragon god we worship here."

"You think I'm her?"

"Amiboshi does. I don't know. Nor do I care…"

"What's it matter to him? What's a priestess do?"

"She gathers the 7 warriors of her god and summons him. She gains the god's power and makes all her dreams come true."

"Oh…I see." She shook her head. "I doubt I'm her though."

"Like I said, I don't care. I'd rather not have to go out looking for the other seishi."

"Why would you?"

"I'm one of the Seiryuu 7. So is Amiboshi."

"Oh…" She took a few bites of food. "I suppose that's why Amiboshi's been so nice to me."

"Something like that."

"And you just don't care?"

"Nope."

"Okay then." She gave him a small smile. "That's fine."

For the first time since she'd been there, Suboshi gave her a friendly smile. "Thanks."

She nodded and turned back to her lunch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piaoliang folded a few sheets and put them away. They were the last few things she had to do before bed. Sighing, she ran one hand through her hair to fix it a little. It had been a long day and she was ready to sleep.

She trudged out of the laundry room and down to her room. On her way she passed by Kohana's room. Kohana was dancing around her room, looking rather happy.

"Hey, what's with you?" She leaned on the doorway.

"Hotohori thinks he's got a way to get me home." She smiled.

"Really?" As happy as she was to see Kohana happy, she didn't really like the thought of her newfound friend leaving. "How?"

"He said something about going north through the forest to some magic mountain or something like that. He said there's some one up there who might be able to help me."

"You can't go through the Northern Woods." Piaoliang shook her head.

"Why not?" Kohana pouted.

"Well, not without someone who knows their way around there. Those woods are impossible to navigate unless you grew up there."

"Says who?"

"Says me. Shen and I grew up in the Northern Woods."

Kohana stopped for a moment. "So then you two should come with us."

"Both of us?"

"Well, if just you come, Shen'll follow and if just Shen comes, you'll follow, right?"

Piaoliang turned bright red. "Excuse me?!"

"What? I'm just saying…"

"Shen would not follow me."

"Yes he would. He worries about you. It's sweet of him."

"Who worries 'bout Piao-chan?" A happy little girl appeared at their side. It was Nuriko's little sister, An Hua. She was an adorable little girl with dark blue hair pulled up in two buns on the sides of her head and bright green eyes. Hime meowed and flicked her tail back and forth.

"Piao-chan's boyfriend worries about her." Kohana smiled.

"I do not have a boyfriend!" Piaoliang stomped her foot.

"Piao-chan has a boyfriend? Is he cute?" She clapped her hands together. 

"Stop it!"

"You bet he's cute. You know the soldier Piao's always with? He's the one."

"Awesome! He's so hot!" An Hua had been hanging around Kohana a lot since Nuriko brought her to the palace and picked up on a lot of Kohana's language.

Piaoliang let out a sound a kin to a whine and a groan. "Would you stop that?!"

"No." Both girls answered, grinning. 

Piaoliang groaned again and looked up at the ceiling. "Why Suzaku? Why me?" She threw her arms up in frustration.

Kohana laughed. "We tease because we love Piao."

"And 'cause it's easy." An Hua giggled.

"You…" Piaoliang's face was bright red. "You…You're a bad influence on her!" She rushed off, flustered.

An Hua giggled and hung onto Kohana's hand. "Can we go find ni-chan?"

"Sure. Let's go." Kohana smiled and took the small girl to find her brother.

An Hua happily skipped along side the priestess. Hime hopped up to An Hua's shoulder. Kohana liked seeing the little girl so happy.

"Ni-chan said you're the one who wanted us to live here in Hoto-chan's house. Is he tellin' the truth?"

"Yep. I invited you guys up here."

"But ni-chan's the one that's got the special powers or whatever."

"Well…family's important right? Can't split it up."

An Hua cocked her head to one side. "Okay!" She then smiled and kept going.

Kohana walked An Hua back to Nuriko's room. The little girl chattered about everything from what kinds of bus she saw outside to what kind of man she wanted to marry. Nuriko was sitting in bed reading. He looked up when he heard his sister's voice. "There you are." He put down his book. "Where have you been?"

"Talkin' 'bout Piao-chan's boyfriend." She smiled and tried to look innocent.

Nuriko raised an eyebrow and looked at Kohana. "She's not being a brat, is she?"

"I'm not a brat, ni-chan!" She pouted.

"Most of the time no." He smiled and picked her up.

"She was fine." Kohana smiled. "She reminds me of me when I was her age."

"Really?"

"Really." Kohana nodded and left them alone. "See ya later."

Piaoliang sighed as she pulled her hair back into a braid. _'Jeez…could they tease me any more? So what if I don't tell Shen I'm head over heels in love with him and have been since before we came to the capital?'_  A few loose ends of her hair fell across her face.

She soon realized she wasn't all that tired. She slipped on a warmer robe over her normal nightclothes and left her room. 

She hugged the robe closer to her body as the cool night breezes blew stronger. No one except for a few guards were out right now. She knew Shen's watch schedule and decided it was all right to go out because he should have been asleep by now. She made no sound as she glided around the palace, trying to make herself tired. 

She stopped in one of the hallways were she had a particularly good view of the full moon and the stars. The moon was so bright she could still see her hands even though it was probably past midnight.

"Piao?" A voice from behind made her jump. "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No. Why would anything be wrong?" The words tumbled from her mouth. "What are you doing up so late Shen?"

His dark red hair carelessly blew about his face, obscuring his eyes. "Just thinking…that's all…" He quickly ran a hand threw his hair in an attempt to keep it down. "You?"

"Ummm…couldn't sleep." She pushed the loose strands behind her ears.

"You sure nothing's wrong?" He wasn't wearing much more than her, just a shirt and pants.

"I uh…I was thinking about Kohana and the other seishi going to the Northern Woods…" It seemed like a decent excuse. 

"Oh. Yeah…" He turned towards the sky. "Hotohori was asking me if I would go and show them the way."

"Oh…well…it would be the right thing to do…"

"Yeah…might be nice to go home for a couple of days…"

"Yeah…I guess you'll have to say hi to my mom and dad for me."

"You could come along…" He stood next to her, calm and collected, the features of his face accented in the bright moonlight.

"I could?" She looked up at him.

"It wouldn't be home without you." He silently cursed himself, wishing he hadn't said that. It was too romantic, hardly like him. He was a solider now, not some silly love struck teen.

A faint blush passed across her cheeks. "That…that's nice of you to say…but I can't just come along. There's really no place for me in a group of soldiers, seishi and a priestess." She shook her head, trying to breathe normally.

He reached out to touch her face. "I won't go without you." His hands were rough from all the years he'd worked, but he was still gentle.

Her breathing stopped for a split second when he touched her. Her blush deepened and she leaned into his touch. "I suppose I could find some way to tag along…"

A faint smiled passed across his lips. "Good…"

She shivered a little. Partially because of the wind and partially because of how nervous she was.

"Cold?"

"A little."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "Better?"

She nodded into his shirt. He'd never held her close like this before. She enjoyed being so close to him. She didn't understand why he was showing such affections towards her though. But she decided it was better not to say anything. Her thoughts were interrupted by his gentle nudges at her neck. She looked up at him timidly, unsure of everything at the moment.

He looked down at her. One part of him still saw her as the young girl he'd always protected. The other saw her as a young woman. A woman who within a year or less would have many men asking for her hand in marriage only to be turned down. The woman who had already been promised to him years ago, since before either of them knew what marriage was. He knew and wanted to tell her, but was afraid of how she'd react. Piaoliang had never been one to be pushed into any situation.

He slowly lowered his lips to hers. She could have pulled away any time she wanted, but all she did was close her eyes.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if he was going too far. They weren't married, they weren't supposed to be doing things like this.

Piaoliang wasn't sure what to do. She never expected Shen to ever kiss her. Her eyes fluttered open again when he moved back. She watched him carefully, trying to read his face.

"Shen?"

"Yes?"

"Do you…" She stopped mid sentence.

"What?"

"Oh…never mind…" She almost asked him if he loved her, but decided against it. "Good night, Shen…" She smiled.

"Good night…" He watched her walk down the hall, unsure if what he thought happened really did. He walked back to his own room and fell onto his bed. He took a deep breath. The distinct aroma of cinnamon rushed into his nose. It was the only thing that told him he really had just kissed Piaoliang. The way she acted after he kissed her confused him. He wanted to know what her question was. 

His questions eventually gave way to sleep though. 

Piaoliang took a deep breath and closed the door to her room. _'What just happened? Did he really…no…he couldn't have…'_ She shook her head. _'It's late…I'm dreaming…but then…why does his touch feel so real?'_ She ran her finger over her lower lip. She decided something that moment.

She liked full moons. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning came quickly. Kohana immediately went to talk to Hotohori after breakfast. She poked her head in his room. "Ah…Hotohori, gotta minute?"

"Of course." He smiled and turned to her. "Is anything wrong?"

"No…I was just wondering…can Piaoliang come along when we head north to that mountain thing?"

He looked at her for a moment. "What for?"

"Well…what if something happens to Shen Yuan? We should have a back up guide…"

"This really has nothing to do with guides, does it? You want Piaoliang and Shen Yuan to be together don't you?" He sighed.

"Well…that's part of it…" She innocently played with her hair.

"You shouldn't meddle in their business, you know."

"I'm not meddling. I'm pushing in the right direction." She pouted. "Please? I could use another girl on the trip anyway. Otherwise it'll be you, Nuriko, Shen and Tamahome."

Hotohori smiled. "You never stop until you get your way do you?"

"Nope!" Kohana smiled and sat next to Hotohori. "So, please?"

"Well…it would be nice to see Shen and Piao be together…but if anyone asks, that's not why I'm letting her come."

Kohana hugged him. "Thank you so much Hotohori!" She paused for a moment. "Oh…what the hell?" And with that she leaned forward and kissed him.

He responded by kissing back. It was a short kiss, unlike their garden kiss, but sweet nonetheless. "You'll come back after visiting home, right?"

"Of course. I promised I would. I don't break promises to anyone." She stood up again. "I'm gonna go tell Piao, kay?"

He nodded.

"I'll see you later." She smiled and left him alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amiboshi waved to one of the shopkeepers and left. He'd been shopping all day and now had to bring home everything. Though the entire time, he had the feeling someone was watching him. 

His instincts served him well though. Someone was watching him. Everywhere he went, a figure in a dark cloak followed. No one seemed to notice or they were all too afraid to say anything. Occasionally, when the wind blew a bit harder, one could see the faintest glimpse of the most emotionless, nondescript gray blue eyes. 

As Amiboshi walked home, he used a very indirect path in an attempt to shake his newfound shadow. When it became clear that the shadow would not leave, he stopped.

Never turning to the shadow, he opened his mouth. "Who are you?"

"So you did know someone was following you…" The voice was too soft to tell if it was a man or a woman.

"Yeah…since I walked into the village…what do you want?" He carefully turned.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" 

"You know who I mean. The forest girl."

_'The forest girl…'_ He swallowed hard. Everyone in the village who didn't know Momo's name called her that since that was where they had found her. "Why does it matter?"

"She's the priestess of Seiryuu, Amiboshi. I've come to bring her, you and your brother to the palace. It's time to gather the Seiryuu 7."

"How do you know who I am? How can you be sure she's really the one?"

The figure approached Amiboshi. It was small, only a tiny bit taller than him, yet commanded an incredible presence. "So many questions…" The figure shook back the cowl. Midnight blue hair framed the face that held the blue gray eyes. It was the face of a woman, battle hardened, a warrior who never looked back. 

Amiboshi frowned when he caught a glimpse of a blue glow on her forehead. "You…you're a seishi…"

The woman nodded. "I am Nakago. Now where is the girl?"

"Momo's not strong enough to travel. She's still resting."

"I didn't ask about her condition, boy. I asked for her location." Nakago's voice remained level, yet Amiboshi could tell she was mad.

"Ah…well…she's at home with Suboshi…I…I was just going there now…"

"Very well. Lead the way, boy." Nakago pushed her hair behind her ears and followed Amiboshi home.

Nakago made Amiboshi very uncomfortable, but he didn't have much of a choice. 

Suboshi was outside chopping wood when Amiboshi and Nakago arrive. 

"Ototo, where's Momo?"

He looked up. "Inside resting. Why?"

"She…has a visitor…" Amiboshi motioned towards Nakago who was looking at the house with an expression of disgust.

Suboshi was caught off guard by Nakago's presence. "I…I'll see if she's up…" He hurried inside. Momo was lying on one of the beds, but not asleep. "Momo?"

"What?"

"There's someone outside who wants to see you…" 

She saw worry in his eyes. "Who…who is it?"

"I…I'm not really sure…but something tells me Aniki's not the only person who thinks you're the priestess of Seiryuu…"

She got off the bed with some trouble. "Um…okay…can you help me out though?" She asked, a bit ashamed of asking for help.

"Uh…yeah…" He supported her while they walked back outside.

Momo was unsure of what to say when she saw Nakago. "Uh…I'm Momo…you…you were looking for me?"

"Rumors of a girl from another world have reached the palace. I came to look into it…" Nakago looked her over. "Judging by your…less than appropriate attire…I'd say they were correct."

Momo was taken aback by the comment. Yes, she was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but in her opinion, there was nothing wrong with it. "Well…excuse me for not caving to your traditions." She stood up straighter, her nervousness gone now that she'd been insulted.

Nakago raised one eyebrow. "You must not know who you're speaking to…"

"No. Nor do I care. No one tells me I'm inappropriate." She put her hands on her hips.

Suboshi and Amiboshi watching in quiet fear. They'd heard rumors about Nakago. Supposedly, she's been trained as hard as any man, perhaps harder, since she was young. Her family had turned her over to the palace when it was discovered she was a seishi so that she could use her powers to the fullest. Her manner was cold and her ways ruthless. Neither one of them wanted to make her angry and desperately wanted Momo not to insult her.

"I apologize, Lady Momo…" Nakago removed her heavy cloak. She wore black pants and a navy blue shirt underneath. A long sword sheath was tied to her belt. "But attire such as yours isn't appropriate for a priestess. She put the cloak on Momo's shoulders. "It attracts unwanted attention."

Momo almost hauled off the cloak. "Wait…who said I was the priestess you're looking for?"

"Well, you are from another world are you not? Konan has already found their priestess. It's your friend I believe."

"Kohana…" Momo felt the need to pull the cloak tighter.

"Ah, yes. That was the name…Konan is planning to invade our country, with your friend leading them…"

"What? Kohana wouldn't do that…she…she hates war…" Momo shook her head.

"You might not be dealing with the girl you think. They may have brainwashed her. You may have to save her."

Momo was quiet for a moment. "If…if she really was brainwashed…I could help her by becoming your priestess?"

Nakago nodded. Momo looked to the twins. They didn't know what to say. These rumors were new to them, but news hardly ever got as far as their village.

"Well…I came here to help her…I'll do it then…"

"Are you willing to fight her if need be?"

"Yes…" She nodded. 

"I am glad to hear that." Nakago looked at the twins. "Boys, pack up. It's time to gather the Seiryuu 7."

They merely nodded and went inside. Momo tied the clasp at the throat of the cloak. She wondered if Kohana was really going to lead a war. The other part didn't care. If Kohana could be a priestess, so could she. She never wanted Kohana to be above her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The morning came when Kohana and the others would start their journey to Tai Itsukun's mountain. Piaoliang and Shen Yuan hadn't said a word to each other about their midnight meeting a few nights ago. The horses were ready and An Hua was out to see her brother off.

"You're coming back, right ni-chan?" She hugged him.

"Of course. I won't be gone long."

"You too?" An Hua looked up at Kohana.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Kohana smiled.

"What am I suppose to do for fun without you here?" She stomped her foot.

"Would you like Hime to stay with you?"

"Yeah!" An Hua's eyes brightened.

Kohana smiled. "Alright." Kohana took Hime off her shoulder. "Hime, stay with An Hua. And don't you dare get her into any trouble."

A meow was the only response as the cat rubbed her head against the little girl's leg.

Shen Yuan helped Piaoliang into the saddle. "Ready?"

"I think so. We're just going home after all."

"True." He swung his leg up and grabbed the reins. Piaoliang lowered her head to hide her blush. In order to take the reins, Shen had to wrap his arms around her.

Kohana sat in front of Hotohori in the saddle. She preferred horseback riding in pants rather than a skirt like Piaoliang.

Nuriko and Tamahome had their own horses. After Hotohori convinced his advisors they needed no guards, they left.

The first half day's ride was uneventful, but when they reached a small village for a meal, that changed.

They were inside a restaurant when a small girl came in. She had bright blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes. The most distinct thing about her was the large straw hat she wore. 

She sat at a table by herself and the cook gave her some food. 

Things went rather normally until a group of tough looking guys came in. Obviously they didn't know who this girl was as they tried to make her go away. Kohana watched her, not paying attention to the current world events that the men talked about. Piaoliang soon joined Kohana in watching.

The girl looked up. "I'm not leaving till I finish. So go away." She stuck her tongue out at them.

"You're taking up too much room. Move it, squirt, before we get really mad."

Kohana and Piaoliang looked at each other. 

"No." She frowned. "Quit picking on little kids."

Kohana looked up at the woman serving them. "Shouldn't someone help her?"

"Her? No need. She's fine on her own."

The guys were starting to notice the confrontation on the other side of the room. "But she's a little kid…" Tamahome started.

"Looks can be deceiving honey. You can hang around and watch if ya like."

The group exchanged worried glances. They didn't understand why no one was concerned about the child.

"Get out of here, kid. You're being a brat."

"Am I really?" The girl finally stood up and took off her hat. "You really wanna see a brat?" She smiled sweetly and reached into the hat. From what seemed like thin air, she pulled out a long staff decorated with gold rings at the top. She twirled it quickly and seemed to cast a spell. 

There was no longer a little girl standing there. Now, a woman of about 25 stood in her place. Same basic features, but somewhat more threatening.

"I told ya she didn't need help."

"Who is she?" Hotohori asked.

"Not really sure. She comes here every once in awhile. Never gives a name, always alone. Everyone likes her and we ask her to stay a lot, but she seems to be a wanderer of sorts."

The woman looked at her provokers. "So, interested in seeing a real brat?"

They all looked at each other, wondering if the child was really a woman or the woman was really a child.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	6. A Mysterious Girl

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Nanase, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 5: A Mysterious Girl**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So are you ready or what?" The blonde woman smiled at her assailants.

They all looked at each other, mostly unsure of what to do.

Kohana and Piaoliang stared blankly at each other. The other boys gave each other nervous glances. They were wondering if they should get out of the inn before something ended up blowing up. No one else in the room seemed affected by the fight about to break out.

"Come on. You're boring me…are you gonna try and fight me or what?"

"Do you ever shut up?!" The tallest of the men growled and lunged at her.

"Honestly? No." Her hand suddenly flashed in a strange pattern. The man froze and in the blink of an eye, shot up towards the rafters of the building. She giggled. "I always loved doing that."

The other men blinked in surprise. They couldn't believe it. They looked up at their friend hanging from the rafters then back at the woman. She waited patiently for one of them to move.

And move they did. Abandoning their airborne friend, the other 4 ran from the room as quickly as possible. The 5th one feebly called for help from the rafters. 

The woman chuckled. "That was fun." She turned to the rest of the people in the restaurant. "Sorry about that everyone. Hope I didn't bother anyone." She looked over at Kohana's table, nodded and headed for the door.

"Be right back." Kohana suddenly stood up and ran after the girl. 

"Kohana!" Hotohori got up and ran after her.

Everyone else stared at the man stuck to the ceiling. The female waiter took a few dishes off. "I told ya that girl doesn't need help."

"Is someone like…gonna help him down?" Piaoliang cocked her head to one side. 

"He'll be down soon enough." Once Hotohori and Kohana disappeared out the door, as if on cue, the man came crashing to the floor. He let out a loud moan of pain.

"Well, that was different." Nuriko absently drank from his cup.

Hotohori chased Kohana around a few houses before he caught her. "Kohana, what are you doing?"

"That woman. I saw something on her leg, something red."

"What kind of thing?"

"I don't know…I was going to try and find out." 

"You could have said so. You didn't have to just run off."

"I was in a hurry. It's not like I think clearly when I'm in a hurry."

"Well…we'll try to find her…"

Kohana and Hotohori weaved in and out of a few streets until they ended up somewhere near the town gates. Hotohori noticed a woman leaning on one of the gateposts. He nudged Kohana and went over to see if it was the woman from the inn. 

The woman looked up when the two approached her. She chuckled and examined her nails. "I was wondering if you were coming…"

Hotohori looked suspiciously at her. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I meant, your highness?" She turned to face them. A hole in the right leg of her pants revealed a glowing red mark on her knee.

"Hey! You're a seishi aren't you?" Kohana looked up at her.

She bowed. "Chichiri. At your service." She then looked over Kohana. "So you're the priestess…coulda fooled me…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kohana snapped at her newfound seishi.

"I just figured the priestess would be you know…more…subdued I suppose…my training hasn't taught me about how to deal with a ball of energy like you."

"How did you find out she was here?" Hotohori asked, still suspicious.

"Rumors spread like wild fire, sire. I came to check it out myself."

"And how do you know he's the emperor?" Kohana pointed at Hotohori.

"I've trained with the Oracle Tai Itsukun for most of my life. She makes sure I know these things."

"Will you be traveling with us?"

"I've got a few loose ends to tie up here and there, but I'll tag along soon enough." She smiled. "I'll be around if you need me."

"But how will you know if…"

"If you need help?" She cast another spell that changed her appearance back to that of a small child. "Please don't underestimate me, sir." And with that, she disappeared into the same hat she pulled the staff from earlier.

Kohana looked up at Hotohori. "Are they all gonna be like that?" She picked up the hat.

"I don't know but I hope not…" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Let's find the others."

Kohana slipped the hat over her head and went with him. Piaoliang ran to Kohana. "Hey! Where have you been? Did you find that lady?"

"Yeah…her name's Chichiri."

"Chichiri? As in seishi Chichiri?" Tamahome asked.

Hotohori nodded.

"Where is she now?" Nuriko looked a little confused.

"In the hat I think." Kohana pointed to it. Shen Yuan raised an eye brow in disbelief. "Don't ask me. I don't get it." She shrugged. "But anyway, we've got a while to go yet right? Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo stared out at the rain from her window. She had a great view of the city, or according to Nakago, her city, from her room. Lightning danced across the sky in long complicated patterns. She stuck her hand out the open window and let the water fall onto her palm.

It had been raining most of the day. She didn't mind though. She'd always liked the rain.

"Momo?" There was a knock at her door.

"What?" She shook the water off her hand and wiped it on her jeans.

Suboshi came into her room. "Nakago wants to see you."

"She can't come and tell me herself?"

"She's waiting for someone."

"Oh." Momo got off her chair and followed him out the door. "Who is it?"

"Dunno. Some guy I think…" He couldn't have sounded more disinterested.

"Suboshi?

"Yeah?" 

"Do you mind being a seishi?"

"What?" He stared at her.

"Do you mind being a seishi? I mean…you'd still be at home if I hadn't dropped in…"

"I don't care…it's just something I accept." He opened a door for her.

"Oh…" She ran her fingers through her fiery hair. Nakago and Amiboshi were in the next room. Amiboshi looked relived someone else was finally in the room.

"Lady Momo." Nakago nodded as she came in.

"What's up?" Momo looked up at the blue haired woman.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone. He should be here any time now."

After a moment of silence, a bright flash of lightning and loud thunder crash made Momo cling to the closest person in fear. That person happened to be Suboshi. He looked a little surprised, but didn't push her away.

Nakago smiled. "Here he is now."

A large door at the other end of the room slowly swung open. A shadowed figured entered the room.

Momo leaned closer to Suboshi. "That's a he?"

He shrugged.

The cloaked figured came within a few feet of the 4 of them.

"Lady Momo, your 4th seishi. Soi." Nakago gestured to the person.

A hand came out from underneath the rain soaked cloak and pushed back the hood. His brown hair wasn't that long. He pushed a few of the strands back from his amber eyes. Soi looked at Momo. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady."

"Same to you." She looked at Nakago. "Any idea how well Kohana's seishi collection is?"

"I'm told she has just found her fourth."

Momo nodded. "Alright…I'll be in my room then…" She left the room. The twins soon followed. Soi had taken off his cloak and a servant took it and disappeared almost with out a sound.

Nakago looked at Soi. "Your room is on the east side."

"Thank you." He watched her head towards the door. "You've had a hard life…"

"Excuse me?" She turned to him with a cold look in her eyes.

"I can tell."

She snorted. "Don't tell me that's some seishi power of yours."

"No…" He approached her. "It's easy to see. The way you talk. The way you carry yourself."

Her eyes were still cold. "Don't you dare try and talk to me about my life."

He held his hand up. "I mean no harm. I'm only saying there are some people who could understand what you've been through…"

"And I suppose you're one of them?" She spat.

Soi didn't answer her though. He just turned and headed for his room. She stood still for a moment, trying to calm her anger. _'Idiot…what on Earth would he know about having a hard life?'_ She left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana watched Nuriko and Tamahome tie up the horses while Shen and Hotohori set up camp. Piaoliang was starting to cook something. She joined Piaoliang by the fire. "So how much farther is it to your village?"

"Not too far. Maybe half a day if we keep up a good pace."

"Enjoying the time with Shen?"

Piao looked up from the fire. "You never stop, do you?"

"Should I?"

"Couldn't hurt."

"Well, I won't stop till you and Shen are together."

"Great…" She sighed.

The boys joined the girls around the campfire. Kohana almost started laughing when Shen sat next to Piaoliang. Piao gave her a warning glare before anything came out.

After dinner, everyone headed into the tents to sleep. They wanted to get into the village as early as possible. 

Within a few minuets, Piaoliang was sound asleep. Kohana was having trouble sleeping. Bugs and various animals kept her up. Annoyed she kicked back the sleeping bag and crept out of the tent.

The crisp night air made her completely awake. _'So much for ever going to sleep…'_ She sighed and inhaled deeply. "At least it's a nice night…" She walked around a little.

"Do you always have trouble sleeping?" Hotohori chuckled in the night.

"I'm not used to this, okay?" She approached the area when she heard his voice from.

"It's alright."

She saw him sprawled out in the grass. His hair carelessly spread out around his head. "Not very emperor like, don't cha think?"

"Don't care. I don't get to relax very often."

"I think it's cute." She sat down with him in the grass.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"I'm starting to like the fact that you seem to have insomnia."

She gave him a mock glare but couldn't help but giggle.

She enjoyed his company. He enjoyed hers. The night was so peaceful. A gentle breeze rustled the trees. The moon and stars shown brightly. He sat up and started to lean in to kiss her.

A sudden pop from a branch snapping and a scream startled them both. A figure tumbled out of the darkness into the clearing. 

It was a young girl, probably not much older than Kohana if at all.

"Someone help me! Please!" She scrambled to Kohana and Hotohori. Frigid hands grasped Kohana's wrists. Kohana felt a chill run down her spine.

"What's wrong?" Hotohori stared at the panicked girl. Twigs and leaves her tangled in her long white hair. Her pale features were twisted with fear. Tears threatened to fall from her dark eyes.

"A…a thief is after me. He wants my necklace. It's very valuable…" She whimpered and clung to Kohana.

"Kohana, stay here with her. I'll find the thief."

Kohana looked down at the girl who burst into tears. "Thank Suzaku I found someone to help me!"

"Hey…it's okay…you don't have to cry Miss…ummm…who are you?"

"My name is Nar…Nanase…" Her voice faltered.

"I'm Kohana. And Hotohori will take care of whoever's following you…" Kohana didn't like the pale girl. It wasn't just because Hotohori forwent kissing her to help this girl, there was something about her that set off millions of silent alarms in her head.

A few minutes passed and Hotohori came out of the forest. "I couldn't find anyone…must have run off."

"Thank you for looking." Nanase stood up and flung herself into Hotohori's arms. "I was so worried he'd get my necklace. It's been in my family for hundreds of years."

Kohana tried not to snap at Nanase for throwing herself at Hotohori. Panicked people did things like that. "Well, I guess everything's alright…can I see the necklace he was after, Nanase?"

"Never!" Nanase suddenly hissed at Kohana. Her dark eyes flashed menacingly. "For all I know, you're another filthy thief!" Kohana stepped back in shock. 

Hotohori frowned deeply. "Watch your tongue, Nanase. Don't speak to the priestess of Suzaku that way."

"The…the priestess of Suzaku?" Nanase dropped to her knees and bowed to Kohana. "Please forgive my rudeness. I did not realize who you were…" 

"It's alright…not like I look a priestess or anything…"

"I…I should go. My family will be worried if I don't come back with the necklace soon." She got back to her feet and began to walk away.

"Wait. The thief might still be around. You should spend the night at our camp and head back in the morning." Hotohori offered.

"Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure. Why not?" Kohana shrugged. Her mind screamed 'no' though.

"Thank you so much! Who would have thought I'd meet such kind people?" 

"Yeah…whatever…" Kohana bit her lower lip as they went back to camp. 

Hotohori said good night and headed to his tent. Kohana opened the girls' tent flap for Nanase. 

"Good night Nanase. See you in the morning." Kohana curled up in her sleeping bag and went right to sleep.

"I'm sure." Nanase whispered and rubbed the stone in her necklace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_'Damn rain…'_ Nakago growled as she began to wake up and her brain registered the constant tapping of the rain. It had been raining constantly for almost 3 days. It hadn't been so bad when the rain started, but now it was just annoying.

Nakago flung her sleeping robe to the floor and went to find some clothes. On her way to her wardrobe she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. 

The cloth strips that bound her chest obscured most of her upper body, but all across her arms, shoulders and neck area, scars marred the skin that looked so perfect when she was fully clothed.

20 years of the Kutou army would do that to anyone. But she didn't care. It had turned her into the invincible solider she was today. Sacrifices had to be made to gain power. To most, she was the embodiment of power. 

She pulled a pair of black pants and a dark blue shirt out and put them on. She tied her sword to her left side. Her whip hung at her right. She pulled her hair loosely back.

She headed out to face the day. On her way around the palace she passed by Soi's door. It was carelessly left open. She scowled. _'How irresponsible…'_ Nakago reached for the door to close it when she saw Soi was still in his room. 

He was sitting on the bed with his back to the door, no shirt on. He had a very powerful build. That didn't surprise her though. From what she understood, he'd been on his own a lot. What she didn't understand were all the scars on his back. For a moment she pondered what could have been the cause of them.

"See something interesting, my lady?" While she'd been thinking, Soi had felt another presence and turned to see whom it was. 

She frowned. "You shouldn't leave your door open."

As she closed the door, he turned back to the wall. "They're from my parents."

"What?" She stopped.

"The scars. They're what you were looking at, am I right?" 

"Your parents beat you?" 

"They didn't understand what I am." Soi stood up and strode to the window. He leaned on the wall. "When my seishi powers manifested, they thought I was a demon. Ignorant fools…" His voice held no emotion. "The whole town thought I was some demon. They all tried to beat it out of me. I ran away when I was 12." 

She looked him over for a moment. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"So they say." He nodded and slipped on a shirt.

Without another word, Nakago left him alone. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Morning sleepy! Are you ever going to get up?" Piaoliang shook Kohana awake.

"Who with the what now?" Kohana shook herself awake. "Oh…good morning Piao." She looked around the tent. "Where's Nanase?"

"Who?"

"Nanase…the girl that was here last night…"

Piaoliang stared at her as if she lost her mind. "No one but us has been in here. Did you dream too much last night?"

"N…no…Hotohori and I met her last night…I'm sure of it…"

Piaoliang raised an eyebrow. "You were out with his highness last night?"

"Don't get any ideas!" Kohana chucked a pillow at her.

"Breakfast is almost ready. Get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am!" Kohana gave her a mock salute. Piaoliang smiled and chucked the pillow back at her.

After getting dressed, Kohana and Piaoliang came out of the tent. Kohana sat next to Hotohori and started eating.

"How's Nanase?"

"I don't know…she's gone…she wasn't there when I woke up and Piao looked at me like I was completely nuts when I asked her where Nanase went…"

Hotohori looked at the ground. "That's odd…"

"I didn't like her anyway. She was creepy…"

"What do you mean?"

"Something about her was just…wrong. She was absolutely frigid. Her eyes flashed when she hissed at me. And right before I went to sleep she said something that sure as hell didn't sound like 'good night'…"

"I didn't notice…"

"Well…she was creepy…"

"Talking about the mystery girl again? Ever think you were both dreaming?" Shen Yuan rolled his eyes. 

Hotohori and Kohana looked at each other and shrugged. 

"Does it really matter whether or not there was girl?" Nuriko said in between bites of food. "We really have to worry about getting Kohana home right?" 

The others nodded. Kohana smiled. "Thanks…"

"So which way are we headed now?" Nuriko asked as he packed up one of the tents.

"The village isn't that much further. We'll probably be there by noon." Shen answered as he tossed Piaoliang's travel bag onto the horse. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The trip was fast. Kohana kept everyone entertained with stories about her world. Soon, the village gates came into view.

As soon as they entered, many people recognized Piaoliang and Shen Yuan. Piaoliang jumped off the horse and ran to greet some friends she hadn't seen since the day she left. They immediately started to talk and laugh. It was almost as if they had only seen each other yesterday.

Shen smiled when he watched her. Kohana couldn't help but notice. As she walked passed him, she knocked him with her shoulder. "Tell her you love her." She said it quickly and quietly.

"What?" He jerked around to face her, but his attention was caught by some of his old friends.

Hotohori gave her a look as he handed the reins to a man who worked at a stable in the village.

"What?! I'm not meddling!" She pouted.

"Kohana! Come here!" Piaoliang waved her over.

Kohana ran over to the other girls before Hotohori could hay anything else. 

"Told ya I know the priestess." Piao smiled smugly at her friends.

"Oh wow…sorry we didn't believe you Piao…" The girls stared in awe at Kohana. She was so different from them.

"Ummm…hiya." Kohana wasn't too sure of what to do. She wasn't exactly enjoying being looked at like some bizarre creature. 

"I'm gonna go say hi to my parents. I'll be back later." Piaoliang hurried off down the street.

One of the girls bit her lip. "Damn…"

"What's wrong?" Kohana cocked her head to the side.

"We were hoping she wouldn't run home so soon…there was something we needed to tell her…"

"Is something wrong?"

"Well…sorta…" One of the other girls leaned closer to Kohana and whispered something to her.

Kohana's eyes widened. "No!"

"Yes."

"But what about…"

"They kinda forgot that…"

"That's horrible!"

"We know! We were really hoping…"

"Hoping what?" Shen Yuan asked, finally breaking away from his old friends.

"Nothing!" All the girls smiled and stood still. 

He looked at all of them funny. "Okay then…" He started to walk in the direction that Piaoliang had gone.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Kohana hissed.

"He's gonna find out anyway. And what good would it do?"

"You could be a little more positive."

"It wouldn't really help…" 

Shen Yuan headed down the street to Piaoliang's house. His home wasn't far from hers, but he figured he'd check in on Piaoliang's parents first. 

As he walked, he saw someone running towards him, head down. He was almost sure it was Piaoliang. She crashed into him and mumbled and apology.

"Piao? Wh…what's wrong?" He saw tears in her eyes. 

Again, she mumbled something and ran away from him. Confused, he headed towards her house again, intent on seeing what made her so upset.

"Hey Shen! Good to see you again!" A man of about Shen's age laughed when he saw the soldier. 

"Hey Li! What's up?" His thoughts of Piaoliang were set aside for a moment.

He grinned. "You should congratulate me. By this time next month, I'll be a married man."

"Really? Who's the lucky lady?" Shen slung his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Piaoliang Feng."

He froze for a moment. "Who did you say?"

"Piaoliang Feng. That girl you used to hang out with when we were kids."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well…that can't be good.

Artwork update:

Aiko's drawn some pictures for me for this story. There now are 2 black and white pictures of 16 year old Kohana. If you'd like to see them, like always, e-mail me. And there's also a color picture of Kohana for the story before this if anyone hasn't already seen it.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	7. Wishes Without Gods

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Nanase, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 7: Wishes Without Gods**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~To my anonymous reviewer - Honey, I know Soi was a girl in the anime. It's pretty hard to miss. But this isn't the original story. I'm trying to get away from that. And hopefully doing a good job. This story is supposed to take place roughly 50 years or so after the anime. Well, inside the book it's 50 years. Outside it's about 10. Nakago and Chichiri were guys but I changed that didn't I? And believe me, they won't be the last ones to change gender.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piaoliang stumbled through the woods outside of town. Branches scratched her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn't care though. She just wanted to die now. How could her parents give her to someone else? They knew she'd always loved Shen Yuan. They always told her Shen would make a wonderful husband for her when they were older.

"So what changed?" She whispered. She finally collapsed to the ground near a stream. She could begin to count how many days she'd spent with him there on the shore. It had always been their place. No one ever bothered them there. She wished things were like they were years ago. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shen pulled his arm off Li's shoulder. "What do you mean you're engaged to Piao?"

"I asked her parents for her hand in marriage a week or so ago."

"You don't even love her."

"So? Who marries for love?" Li blinked a few times when he noticed how pissed Shen looked. "What?"

"Piaoliang Feng is my fiancé." He hissed. 

"Sorry Shen, but I've got her parents' permission. She's good enough to have my kids."

"Good enough? Just who the hell do you think you are?" Shen clenched his fist. "You're not getting married to her."

"And why would that be?"

Shen stood quietly for a moment then almost embedded his fist in Li's stomach. "I told you. She's my fiancé." The other man clutched his stomach and crumpled to a heap on the street. Shen took off down the street to find Piaoliang.

Kohana saw the distraught soldier running towards her. She figured he knew why Piaoliang was so upset. "Shen!" She called out to him. He looked over at her. "She started running east into the forest." He nodded to her in thanks, already completely aware of where she went. "And Shen?"

"Yeah?"

"She loves you, you know that right?"

He nodded. "Yeah…took me too long to see though…" He ran out of town to go find Piaoliang.

Kohana went off to find Hotohori. She found him at the inn. "Hotohori, how can you just sit here?" She put her hands on her hips.

"What?" He truly wasn't aware of what happened down on the street.

"Piaoliang just found out her parents made another engagement for her. Shen found out by talking to the other guy. Piaoliang ran off into the forest crying and now Shen's gone after her." She grabbed his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" He was caught completely off guard by the way she dragged him.

"We're going to see Piaoliang's parents."

"Umm…why?"

"You're the emperor, I'm the priestess. We have to get them together."

"We do?" He struggled with her logic. "It's her parents' choice who she marries."

"Not where I'm from. Piaoliang should be happy with the person she spends the rest of her life with. I'm not letting my only friend outside of my seishi be miserable." She continued to drag him down the street. "Now come on!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_'Please be okay…' _Shen ran as hard as he could to the spot near the stream. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Piaoliang's sobbing form next to the water. Her whole body shook as she let all her sadness out.

'Piao…' He wasn't really sure if he'd said it or thought it.

Apparently he said it though. Piaoliang looked up long enough to see him staring at her. Scared, she gathered up her skirts and pulled herself to her feet. She intended on running again, but her legs wouldn't move.

He ran to her. "Piao…" He stared at the scratches on her face. None of them were bad. He cupped her cheek his hand and wiped away her tears. Her emerald eyes glistened in the light with more tears that threatened to spill out.

She couldn't even bring herself to look at him. What was the point? Her future with him was over before it started. She wanted to run, his strong embraces was too warm and comforting. "What are you doing here, Shen Yuan?"

He flinched at the use of his full name. She never used his full name. They were never that formal unless around large groups of people.  "I…I came to find you…"

"What for?" She tried to look away from him but his eyes held hers firmly.

He leaned forward and kissed her. She became paralyzed in his arms. Her eyes couldn't have opened wider. She didn't understand what was going on. "I love you Piao." He whispered against her lips.

"Wha? No…you…you can't…you can't…I…no…" Her voice became hoarse. Her tears started to fall again again. "I'm engaged to Li…" She struggled in his arms. She didn't want this now. Any other time before would have been perfect…but not now.

"No…never…" He held her tightly.

"But Li and my parents said…"

He kissed her again to stop her from saying anything else. "Screw what they said. I asked for your hand before we left the village. They said yes. Li can't have you…"

Piaoliang trembled. "You…you asked for…for me?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.

He nodded and gently stroked her face. "I told you…I love you Piao…"

A small smile passed over her lips." Shen…" She rested her head on his chest. "I love you too."

He held her tightly with one hand and ran his fingers through her hair with the other. He looked at the water, up at the trees. Time hadn't touched this place. It was exactly how he remembered it. The last time they were here was two years ago…right before they headed out for the capital.

"Shen…what do we do about Li?"

"I don't know…but something will happen…it has to…" He lowered his lips to hers again. She eased into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. Things were looking up now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hotohori was amazed by Kohana's determination. She didn't even stop to look at Li. He'd pulled himself off the ground, but was still in an enormous amount of pain.

"Kohana, shouldn't we see if he's…"

"No time! Piao comes first!" 

Kohana knocked on the door Piaoliang's house. Her father answered. "Can I help you miss?"

"Yeah. You can't marry your daughter off to the loser Li." She huffed.

He looked at her funny. "Who exactly are you and how do you know our daughter?"

"I'm the priestess of Suzaku, that's who. This is Hotohori. One of my seishi and your emperor."

Her father looked inside to Piao's mother. "Dear…there's a couple outside claiming to be the priestess and emperor telling me not to let Piao get married to Li."

A woman came to the door. "How interesting…why don't you two run along? Our daughter's marriage isn't your business."

Now Hotohori was a little offended. "Don't accuse her of lying. Piaoliang is Kohana's personal attendant in the palace."

They looked at each other. "Can you prove what you claim?"

The group of Piaoliang's friends was near by, listening to everything. One of the girls ran over. "I can! I was in the capital the day the girl who turned out to be the priestess trashed the emperor's carriage! That's her!" She pointed at Kohana.

Kohana turned bright red. "Why does everyone know about that?!?!"

Piaoliang's parents looked at each other again. "Umm…we apologize for our doubt…please…enter our humble home…" They backed away from the door, heads lowered.

"Oh, cut that out. I hate formalities." Kohana waved it off.

"You wished to speak to us about Piaoliang?"

"Yeah. That's right." She sat on a bench at the table. "What are you doing by putting her with that Li guy? You oughta know who she really loves."

"My lady…with all due respect…marriage isn't about love…" Piaoliang's mother started.

"I'm really sick of hearing that. Marriage is _all_ about love where I come from. You're supposed to get married to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. You shouldn't force Piao to marry Li when she loves Shen." Kohana sighed. "I know people say love comes after marriage, but it shouldn't have to when you love someone before marriage."

They stopped to think for a moment. Suddenly, Piaoliang's mother jerked her head up. "I just remembered something…"

"Something wrong ma'am?" Hotohori looked concerned. 

"Well…dear…" She looked at her husband. "Do you remember what Shen asked us before they left?"

He winced. "He asked for her hand in marriage…"

Kohana stood up. "Perfect! He was first! That means they can get married right?"

"Well…we'll have to get rid of Li somehow now…"

"You might not have to…I think we saw him writhing in pain outside. I believe that was him anyway…seems like Shen got to him first." Hotohori scratched his head.

"What'd I do now?" Shen pushed open the door. Piaoliang was with him.

Piaoliang's mother ran to her and hugged her. "Piao honey, we're so sorry!"

"Huh?" She was taken more than a little off guard.

"We forgot about your engagement to Shen! He did ask first."

Piaoliang smiled widely. "Thank you, Mother!" She hugged her mother and father tightly then ran to Shen. He embraced her tightly.

Kohana felt a tug at her heart. Hotohori put a hand on her shoulder. "Do you miss your parents?"

"I dunno…not much to miss. I never knew them…I miss my sister and brother…they're like my parents…" She whispered.

"Once the seishi are gathered you could ask Suzaku if you could meet them."

"I…I can do that?"

"You can ask for anything."

"Huh…guess it's something to think about…I've always wondered what they think of me…" She thought for a moment while Hotohori watched Piaoliang's parents take the confused yet happy couple into another room to begin planning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_'Crap…' _Momo looked around. The twins were nowhere to be seen. She was stuck in the middle of the Kutou market place on her own. _'Oh great…I'm gonna die…'_ She weaved around people wondering if maybe it was a better idea to wait for the twins to find her. But then again, she didn't want people to think she was lost. She didn't trust anyone here.

She wandered from booth to booth, only casting an occasional glace at what was for sale. Nothing particular interested her until she reached a table filled with elaborately decorated dream catchers. She scanned the table looked at each one of them.

"See anything you like my lady?" A young girl was tending the table. She looked about as old as Momo. Stark white hair framed her pale face. Momo felt as though her onyx eyes could see right through her. She was a little breath taken. A beautiful crystal pendant hung from her neck.

After regaining control of herself, she spoke. "They're all wonderful. Did you make them?"

"Yes. It's a hobby of mine." The girl looked at Momo. "You look tired. Perhaps something is plaguing your dreams?"

"What? No…I don't think so anyway…I'm just not used to sleeping in the palace." She could have kicked herself for saying that.

"The palace?"

"Uh…um…I'm the…priestess of Seiryuu…Momo…" She whispered nervously.

The girl gasped. "Lady Momo…it's an honor to speak to you. I'm not worthy…" She bowed.

"Don't do that…really…I'm just a regular girl like you." Momo looked around, panicked, hoping no one saw the girl bowing to her. "What's your name?"

"Nar…Nanase…"

Momo cocked her head to one side. "What?"

"Nanase."

"I thought you were going to say something else…"

"No, my lady…You must have caught someone else's conversation. The market place is awfully noisy you know." Nanase traced a line around her pendant.

"Oh…yeah…of course. Shoulda figured…" She continued to look over the dream catchers.

"Would you like one, Lady Momo?"

"I'd love one but my…friend has all the money…I got separated from him…"

"I couldn't take money from the priestess. I insist you just take one."

"I really should pay…"

"Please. I've sold enough today and I have many extras." Nanase pulled one out from under the table. "Here. I think this one suits you. The stone in the cage is moonstone." It was a medium sized one. The strings in the middle were various shades of blue. Feathers of other shades of blue hung from the bottom. In the center of strings was a small wire cage where the moonstone sat.

"It…it's beautiful…" Momo was entranced by it. "I just don't think I can take it without paying…"

"It's payment enough knowing the great priestess of Seiryuu has one of my humble creations."

"Thank you Nanase…" Momo took off her backpack and slid the dream catcher inside.

"That's a very interesting bag. I can't say I've ever seen anything like it."

"This? Oh…it's pretty common where I'm from…"

"I see." Nanase pushed her white hair back a little. "I bid you good day my lady."

"Have a nice day Nanase." Momo started to walk away. Then she remembered she wanted to ask Nanase how exactly she made dream catchers. She turned around. "Nanase, I was just wondering…" Her eyes widened. The table of dream catchers and the girl that made them that had been there seconds before was gone. The space was split between two other tables. One sold some food and the other sold some sort of talismans to ward off evil. 

She immediately slung off her bag and opened it up. The blue dream catcher was still there. So then…where was the shop? Where was Nanase? She stared blankly at the space too shocked to move.

Though she soon regretted looking blatantly confused. 

"Somethin' wrong here, cutie?" She felt someone tugging at her coat. 

"I'm fine…" She backed away. But she backed into someone else.

"Don't look fine." He grinned. He was missing a few teeth.

She grimaced. "Really…" She began walking away at a brisk pace.

A third man cut her off. "You seem lost."

"I am not!" She started to run. She wished she knew the city. She wished she knew how to get back to the palace. She wished for…Suboshi? Why was the grumpy boy who didn't like her, who she didn't particularly like either, the first of her seishi she thought of?

She swore under her breath. Her running had brought her to a dead end. She backed up against the wall. She couldn't believe her short time in Kutou was about to end with three disgusting guys in a back alley.

One of the men grabbed her by the hair. "Pretty…" She winced as he yanked on her long fiery red hair.

"Let go!" She cried as she tried to twist away.

"Don't struggle so much and it won't hurt to bad." He pulled harder.

She winced. Her hand slipped to a knife at her waist. Nakago gave it to her before she went out with the twins, telling her to protect herself, not to count on just the twins. She hacked at her hair. The man tumbled back with a large section of her hair in his hand. A few of the newly shortened strands of hair blew in front of her face.

"She's feisty…too bad about the hair." The toothless man watched his companion toss the hair into the dirt.

She tightened her grip on the knife.

"One knife won't protect you from three guys." The third man pulled out his own knife.

She let out an involuntary whimper. _'I'm so dead…' _She saw the shadow of the hand with the knife move over her head. _'Suboshi…'_

She closed her eyes and waited. But the knife never came. Instead she heard the man scream in pain.

She opened her eyes and screamed. The other men were backing away from their suddenly right handless companion. The man clutched his handless wrist and screamed in pain.

"What did you do to him?!" 

Momo was too scared to speak. Suddenly the toothless man went flying, flung away by some unknown force. The bleeding man ran for his life.

Momo crouched down and covered her head with her hands, wishing it was over.

She heard the last man scream. She wondered if he was dead. Things soon quieted. An eternity passed before she felt it was safe to look up. But she still refused to move. Fear gripped her tightly. She didn't want to know what saved her.

"Momo…get up. We're going back to the palace." 

She looked up cautiously. Suboshi was looking down at her, holding out his hand, his ryuuseisui at his waist.

"Su…Suboshi…" She didn't move.

"Can you get up?" He asked a little impatiently.

She nodded, afraid her voice would betray her. She reached for his hand and let him do most of the work. 

"Are you hurt or not?"

She shook her head.

"Come on. We should go back now. Someone at the palace might be able to do something about your hair." He ran his fingers through her hair, checking to see how much of her own hair she hacked off to get away from the men. His hand lingered on her shoulder. 

Suddenly, she flung herself into his arms. Eyes shut tightly, she buried her face into his shoulder and whimpered. Suboshi felt her trembling. He figured she'd start crying soon. He wasn't sure it was appropriate, but he wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort the terrified girl.

"It's okay Momo…they're gone…don't cry…" He really didn't want to deal with a crying girl. 

After a minute or so of simply clinging to him, she let go. "Thank you Suboshi…"

"It's…my job…I'm supposed to protect you…"

"I know…but thanks anyway."

"How you end up in this alley anyway?"

"I…I'm not sure…I was talking to this girl and when I was done I started walking away…I remembered I wanted to ask her something so I turned around to find her…but…" She stood there quietly.

"But?"

"But she was gone…I still have the dream catcher she gave me though…"

"Maybe you just missed the table."

She didn't really believe that, but she shrugged. "Maybe…"

"You wanna go back up to the palace?"

"Yeah."

Suboshi stepped around the man on the ground. He wasn't dead, just knocked out. The second man was nowhere in sight. Suboshi got rid of him somehow. And all that was left of the man who almost knifed her was a bloody hand holding the knife. Momo thought she was going to vomit.

Momo and Suboshi met Amiboshi near the palace gates. The older twin looked rather distraught. 

"Lady Momo! Are you alright? What happened?"

She cringed at 'Lady' Momo. She didn't like it at all. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I thought something happened to you…we've been looking…"

"Seriously Amiboshi. I'm fine. I got a little misplaced is all." She shrugged and started walking towards the place doors.

"Is she really fine?" Amiboshi looked at his brother.

Suboshi was watching Momo walk up the stairs.

"Ototo?"

"Yeah wha?" He snapped back to attention.

"Is Lady Momo alright?"

"Yeah…she's fine." Suboshi ran up the stairs after Momo. Amiboshi followed, wondering what really happened in town.

Suboshi found Momo in her room. She had found a pair of scissors in her bag and was carefully evening out her hair. Chunks of red hair fell to the floor, unnoticed. He watched her for a moment before he spoke. "Momo?"

"Hmmm?" She looked up from her hair to meet his eyes.

"Why…why didn't you tell Amiboshi what happened?"

"And make his head explode?" 

"What?" Obviously Suboshi took her words a little too literally.

She put down the scissors and waved her hands in the air. "Not literally. Figuratively." He still looked at her funny. "What I mean is, your brother worries a lot, doesn't he?"

"Yeah…I guess so…he worries about stuff that isn't even his business."

"Well, can you imagine how much he'd freak out if I told him I got lost and almost got myself killed had you not come along to save my sorry ass?"

Suboshi thought for a moment. "Yeah…I guess you're right. And you're not a sorry person, Momo." He started to leave the room.

"Suboshi?"

"Yeah?" He stopped short of the door.

"I've got one more thing to thank you for…" She stood up to meet him.

"I can't think of anything else worth mentioning that I've done…" He shrugged.

"It's not a huge thing…it's just…thanks for not calling me Lady Momo…it's really annoying."

He looked a little confused. "Well…I just don't see you as a 'Lady'…" His eyes widened and he snapped his mouth shut. "I didn't mean that! Or I meant it in the best possible way! Whatever you prefer!" He winced, thinking she'd be royally pissed off at him.

To his surprise, she just laughed. "Trust me Suboshi. You're not the only one."

Confusion seemed to be the permanent emotion on his face.

She looked at herself in the mirror. "I'm not much of a lady. I argue till I get my way, I fight with more people than most of the guys I know, I'm about as graceful as an elephant…to most people I'm average…barely even that."

"But…that's what makes you, you, right?"

"Something like that." She shook out her hair. "Damn…and here I was trying to grow it out…"

"I think it looks nice." He said absently. 

"Thanks…" She gave him a small smile.

"Sure…" He nodded, hiding a small blush.

She stared at him for a while. He stared back. Before either one could really stop themselves, they leaned towards each other to kiss. It wasn't much of a kiss though. More just like brushing their lips together before jerking apart.

"Sorry…"

"Me too…"

"I don't know where that came from…"

"Me either…"

"I should go…"

"I gotta finish my hair…"

"Bye…"

"Bye…"

Words tumbled from their mouths at a frantic rate.

Suboshi hurried out of Momo's room. Momo shook off her daze. She held her head. "Must be some post-traumatic stress…thing…or something…" She convinced herself that was why she almost kissed him and went back to her dresser and scissors. 

A cool wind blew in through her window. Her backpack tumbled off the edge of her dresser. "Shoot…I knew I should have put that in a better place…" She went to the window to close it and then to her backpack.

The clasp opened and some of the contents spilled onto the floor, one of them being her new dream catcher. 

"Hmm…I should hang that up…" She bent down to pick it up. When the tips of her fingers touched the circle, a chill like no other raced through her body. She drew her hand back with a small cry. That was just weird. She reached out for it again. Nothing happened.

"That was weird…" She picked it up and set in on her table, thinking to put it up later.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Artwork update:

1) Black and White - Kohana - Sitting

2) Black and White - Kohana - Priestess Robes

*New* 3) Color - Momo and Kohana - Priestess Robes

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	8. Origins Realized

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Nanase, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate******

**Chapter 8: Origins Realized******

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Say it!"

"No!"

"Come on! Say it!"

"No!"

"But it's true!"

"I'm not gonna say it!"

"Please?! I'll stop bugging you!"

"Fine!" Piaoliang threw her hands up in exasperation. "You were right. Happy?"

"Very." Kohana smiled smugly. "I told you Shen loved you. I don't get why you wouldn't believe me."

"Can we leave this subject alone now? I'm engaged to him now, you can drop it!" Piaoliang set a full bucket of water down on the ground.

"But it's so much fun bugging you!" Kohana giggled as she filled up the other bucket at the river.

"Are all girls from your world like you?"

"Not most. I'm special."

"Seems like a good thing to me."

"Oh! Piao, you wound me!" Kohana placed her hand over her heart and threw her head back.

Piaoliang laughed. "You are so strange."

"And so proud of it." 

The two girls picked up the bucket and started walking back Piao's village. 

"So, how are things with you and his highness?" Piao asked slyly.

"Huh?" Kohana turned red.

"Come on now, moonlight strolls…"

"I have trouble sleeping here!"

"Stolen kisses…"

"I…he…"

"Watching each other from across the table…"

"I happen to sit across from him during dinner! I can't help but look at him when I look up!"

"Uh huh…" Piaoliang rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that's all it is."

"Not another word or this bucket will be on your head." Kohana raised the bucket to eye level.

"Who said this one wouldn't?" The formerly shy maid brandished her own bucket at the priestess. 

"Is that a challenge?"

Piaoliang shrugged and continued walking.

"You…" Kohana smiled. "So how much farther do we have to go to get through the woods or whatever?"

"Well, we'll hit the entrance to the forest almost as soon as we leave the village…from there you have to follow some pretty weird directions. Definitely nothing someone unfamiliar with the land could come up with."

"Are the woods like haunted or something?"

"Some people think they are. Not me though. I grew up in there. I know every little thing about it."

"I think I would have liked to grow up around here…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's something about this place that I just like."

"Personally I couldn't wait to get out…I wanted to see the city." 

"I grew up in the city…not the same as a city here of course…" Kohana sighed, thinking about home again.

"You'll be home soon. Legends say that the great Oracle was able to help a priestess get home about 50 years ago. I'm sure she can help you."

"She's already helped a lot…" Kohana whispered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" She mentally slapped herself. She still wasn't sure about whether or not she should tell the seishi about her history with the book or ask Tai Itsukun what to do when she saw her.

"Okay." They reentered town and headed back to Piaoliang's house. They handed over the water to Piao's mother and she went to begin dinner.

While the others talked Piaoliang excused herself to take a walk around the village. It was very quiet, nothing like the capital. Though she understood Piao's desire to live a bigger life, she sometimes wished for a smaller life.

In one corner of town, a large tree, probably a good century or so old, grew. Limbs stuck out from almost every angle, making it perfect for climbing. She climbed up to a pretty high limb and dangled her legs off the branch. After a quiet moment, she heard footsteps below her. She looked down, thinking it was Hotohori, but instead found Tamahome. He was holding something in his hand.

"Hey. Gotta sec?"

"Do I have to come down? I'm really comfortable up here."

"Nah. You can stay there. I just wanted to give you something."

"What?" She cocked her head to one side.

He tossed something up to her. She barely caught it. It was a small fabric pouch with ties. She pulled them open and upended it. Her gold earrings fell into her hand. "Hey…what are you giving me these back for?"

"I don't want 'em anymore."

"But I gave them to you for protecting me."

"I uh…look, just take 'em okay? They should be yours."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well…thanks…" She put the earrings back in the bag and shoved them into a pocket.

"Sure. Anything you want." She arched on eyebrow as he walked away. 

_'What was that all about? He hasn't really been nice to me before…so why now?'_ A sudden realization hit her. _'Suzaku, please don't tell me he likes me, or worse, loves me! Damn those love triangles!'_ She balled her fists. _'I'm in love with Hotohori! Crap…did I just admit that to myself?'_ She rested her head on the tree trunk. _'I did…no sense in denying it…Piao's gonna laugh at me…'_ She started to hop down the branches. _'So much for a quiet moment alone…'_

Kohana sighed and began walking back. Home was looking more and more welcoming by the second.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo slowly turned the page of her book. She hadn't had much to do lately. After Nakago found out about her attack in town, she forbid the priestess to leave the palace without a large number of guards. She sighed and wondered what Kohana was doing. 

Thoughts of Suboshi danced in her head as well. She slipped her bookmark inside the book and set it down. _'Why'd I try to kiss him? And why on Earth didn't he move away? I just don't get it…'_ She got up and left her room. 

A group of servants that always seemed to follow her appeared out of nowhere.

"Are you in need of something, Lady Momo?"

Momo sucked in a quick gasp, taken completely off guard by the ghost like group. "Ah…ummm…I was thinking about taking a bath…"

Without a word, the girls whisked Momo off to the bathhouse despite her cries of protest. She didn't like being dragged around. 

She soon found herself in a nice warm, relaxing bath, with maids still bustling around her. 

"Hey could you girls just go? I really don't need to be watched." She muttered as the girls looked at each other.

"We cannot. Nakago told us to attend to you at all times."

"Do you always listen to everything Nakago says?"

"Yes. She's practically the leader of the country."

"Well, they best way you can attend to me is to leave me alone for now. I don't need to be watched in the bath. In my world, this is a very private thing." She sank low in the water, incredibly uncomfortable with all the extra eyes.

Again, the girls wordlessly looked at each other. 

"Very well, my Lady…we will leave your presence…but we will not be far."

"That's fine. Just go." '_Those are some strange girls…they're really robotic…kinda creepy…'_ She held her breath and sunk beneath the water. The warm water eased her tired muscles and mind. 

She had started wondering if she ever should have followed Kohana into this world.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana, Nuriko, Hotohori and Tamahome waited outside the town gates while Piaoliang and Shen said goodbye to their friends and family in the town. Kohana was standing next the one of the horses, brushing its mane.

Nuriko joined her. "Hey, you okay? You look a little sad."

"I'm fine…" She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"You know I don't really believe that…" He held onto the reigns.

"Well…" She looked around for Hotohori and Tamahome. They were off with the other horses. "Promise not to say anything to anyone else?"

"Sure."

"I think I got myself stuck in a love triangle…"

"With Tamahome and Hotohori?"

"You already knew?"

"Yeah. Pretty hard to miss. Tamahome talks about you a lot." 

"Shit…" Kohana let the brush drop to the ground. "Why would he like me?"

"Most of the men in the palace like you. It doesn't surprise me."

"You?"

Nuriko rolled his eyes. "I said most. You're like another little sister to me. That's kinda creepy you know?"

Kohana smiled. "Thanks."

"Sure. Anyway, why don't you sound very happy?"

"I don't like Tamahome.  I think…I know…that I'm in love with Hotohori…"

"Boy, am I glad I get to be on this trip." Nuriko smirked.

"Don't be mean!" She swatted at his arm.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I'm not really sure what to tell you, but if you ever need a guy's opinion on something…"

"Thanks a bunch Nuriko." She sighed. "I just…I wasn't ready for this…"

"Who would be?"

"I suppose so." 

"Hey you two, we're ready to go!" Piaoliang was already sitting on the horse with Shen.

"Coming!" Kohana hurried over to Hotohori and climbed up with him.

"What were you talking about?" Hotohori picked up the reigns.

"Nothing."

"You sure?"

"Uh huh. Let's go." Kohana kicked her heels into the horse and made it run before Hotohori could ask any more questions.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo sat in front of her mirror wrapped in a silk robe. Her bath was her moment of peace in this strange world. After combing out her slightly wet hair, she got up to find a shirt and bra. After picking one out, she untied the robe and dropped it to the floor.

"Hey Momo, do you wanna…" Suboshi had just walked into Momo's room. 

Her eyes widened as he stood there, frozen, staring at her. All she had on was a pair of pajama pants.

His mind raced. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Look away! Why won't you look away?!?!? Get out while you still can!'_ He couldn't help but stare. 

After a moment, Momo regained control of her body and flung her arms and hands over her chest. "YOU PERVERT!!!!!! GET OUT!!!!" 

"I'm sorry!" He turned his head away when her voice snapped him out for his trance.

"WHATEVER!!!!!!! JUST GET OUT!!!!!!!!!" With one arm over her chest, she flung a brush at him with the other. It hit him squarely in the head as he ran out of her room. 

The door slammed shut and the brush hit the floor with a dull thud while Momo calmed down. Her face was bright red and her eyes burned. "That idiot! Who does he think he is walking in on me like that?!" She paused for a moment and looked at her mirror. _'Wait…why am I sounding so high and mighty? He's not lower than me. I shouldn't be like that…'_ She clenched her fists. "He just should have knocked…it's common decency." She growled softly.

A sudden cold wind blew through her room making her pick the robe up again and wrap it around her shoulders while she picked up her shirt and bra.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amiboshi was sitting alone in his room, minding his own business when Suboshi burst into the room, completely red faced. Amiboshi stared at his twin in surprise. "What have you been doing?"

"I…um…I…uh…" He stumbled over every word.

"Would you just spit it out?" Amiboshi could feel his twin's embarrassment, he just couldn't tell why.

"IwalkedinonMomowhenshewasntwearinganything…"

 Amiboshi stared for a moment, trying to put spaces in the words. When he finally put the sentence together, his eyes widened. "Don't you ever knock!?!?"

"I didn't think she'd be half naked!! You act like I did it on purpose!!!" 

"What were you going to her room for anyway?"

"I was gonna ask her if she wanted to go into town with me."

"Why? You know she can't go into town anymore without practically a legion to guard her."

"We've snuck out of the palace before."

"You what?"

"I shouldn't have said that…should I?"

"No…no you shouldn't have…do you have any idea how much trouble you could get in?"

"I know…but she hates having guards…I don't want her to be miserable…"

"You like her…"

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"She's our priestess."

"And?"

"Isn't that like illegal or something?"

"Suboshi…"

"What?"

"Just go apologize to her later."

"Okay, okay…I will…if she doesn't kill me on the spot next time I see her…" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh how cute…" A shadowed figured had just witnessed the event between Momo and Suboshi through a very large dream catcher. Dark eyes burned with hated as it sensed the growing feelings between the priestess of Seiryuu and her seishi. "I think I'm going to puke." 

With an annoyed snort the figure dispelled the image of the Kutou palace and replaced with an image of four horses in the woods. "Let's check up on the other pretty little priestess…" 

The horse carrying Piao and Shen was leading the group through the darkening woods. Kohana was curled up as close to Hotohori as she was able to on a horse. The figure tossed its head back, letting long strands of white hair loose, and laughed. "The brave little fire priestess doesn't like the Northern Woods I see…she's afraid of them…" 

It began to move one hand in a random pattern. "Let's make sure she always has those fears…Creature of the darkest energy, I summon thee to slay for me." The hand glowed with an eerie purple and black energy as she touched the image of the people in the forest. It pulsed with dark energy. The figure grinned evilly. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Piaoliang suddenly grabbed the horse reigns from Shen and pulled the horse to an abrupt stop. Shen struggled to keep his balance and hold the horse steady. "Piao, why you do that?" He looked concerned. Her face was very pale.

"Something's not right…" She got off the horse. "The woods feel different…darker…can't you feel it?"

"No…" Shen was now confused. 

"I can…" Kohana winced. Whatever was surrounding them simply exuded dark power.

The men looked at each other, unable to understand what the girls were feeling. Piaoliang clutched at her chest. "It's so dark…yet…it feels familiar…"

"Can't say it feels the same to me…it's just dark…cold…and empty…" 

Shen went over to her and wrapped on arm around her. "There's other ways through the forest. We'll use one of those…"

"But it's here…" Kohana was staring off into the forest where the mist was the thickest.

"What's here?" Hotohori had his hand on his sword.

Hotohori's question was answered by a shrill scream and a shadow darting out of woods. It moved to fast and tackled Kohana. She didn't have enough time to react and ended up flat on her back with a pair of sharp claws in her shoulders. Its face loomed over hers, breathing heavily, burning red eyes digging into her soul. 

Kohana couldn't move. Nuriko was the first one to react. He ran over and tore the demon away from her. She let out a cry as the claws tore at the skin on her shoulders, cutting deeply into her. Tamahome joined Nuriko in keeping the creature away from Kohana, no matter how hard it struggled. 

"Kohana!" Piaoliang ran to her friend. 

Kohana struggled to sit up. "I'm…I'm okay…"

"No you're not!" Piaoliang supported her. "We gotta get away from that thing…"

By now, Hotohori and Shen joined in on fighting the demon. But it seemed like no matter how much they hacked at and beat up on it, it still continued to go after Kohana. 

Suddenly the demon swept its claws in a giant arch, knocking back all four men. It took the opportunity to start after the wounded priestess again. Piaoliang stood up, ready to defend her friend and priestess. Shen saw her standing there.

"Piao! What are you doing?! Run!"

"No. Everyone else fights. So can I." She had a look of fierce determination on her face. 

Her companions watched as Piaoliang suddenly became…not herself. Her eyes became dull. They seemed vacant, empty. Her hand came up and began to move it in a random pattern. "Dark Demon, your powers are mine to keep, I send you now to go to sleep!" With the last word of the newly formed spell, the tip of her finger connected with the chest plate of the demons armor. 

White bands of light streamed from her fingers and wove themselves around the creature. It screamed and struggled, but couldn't break free of its bonds. The bands of light grew brighter, causing even more pain until a blinding flash of light forced everyone to look away. 

When it cleared, the demon was gone. Piaoliang was standing there, hand still outstretched. Kohana, despite her horrible injuries and dizziness from blood loss, stood up and walked over to her. "Piao…what was that?"

Her eyes returned to normal as the men came over. "I don't know…" The words came out weakly before she collapsed. 

Shen caught her. "Piao!" He gently shook her. "Piao! Wake up!" 

"I think she's just tired…" Kohana clutched her shoulder. She suddenly noticed something and smiled. "Baba can help us…"

"Baba?" Hotohori and Nuriko looked at each other in confusion. "Who's Baba?"

"She is." Kohana pointed to a familiar old woman approaching them, looking rather worried. Then Kohana collapsed into Hotohori's arms.

The old woman was small, yet everyone could sense a lot of power from her, good power. 

"Who are you?" Tamahome asked.

"I'm the one you all came here to see. I am Tai Itsukun. Come, hurry. Kohana needs medical attention now. And Piaoliang needs rest." A large carpet was spread out on the ground. "Get on and we'll head to my palace."

The men were still confused but obeyed. They had no choice. Kohana needed help.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Miserable creature!" The shadowed figure from earlier punched the image of Kohana and the others leaving the forest, giving the illusion of shattering glass. "They're never good for anything!" A few lamps suddenly blazed to life.

"And that girl…Piaoliang, was it? How could she kill my demon? She just an average mortal…what power could she have against my dark army?" Light danced across a female face, a face both Momo and Kohana had seen before. Nanase.

"Well…" She murmured. "I'll just have to find another way to kill them. Why send minions when you can have the pleasure yourself? I have to find out about Piaoliang anyway…" She reached for a glass of blood red wine. She sipped the drink slowly. 

After holding it for a moment, her hand lost its substance and the glass fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces and spilling the wine everywhere. Nanase stared at the wine. "Damn…I have to find a way to sustain myself for longer periods of time…maybe I'll drain that maid, have the power to sustain myself and get my answers at the same time…" She relished the thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"She needs blood."

"How much?"

"A lot."

"I'll give her whatever she needs."

"Are you sure?"

"Do I look like I'm unsure?"

"Very well. Anyone else?"

Silence.

"There will be no turning back once I start."

"Do it! She'll die if we don't hurry!"

"As you wish, your highness." Tai Itsukun began casting a blood transfusion spell. Hotohori bit his lip as he felt his own blood leave his body in order to save Kohana. The pain jolted Kohana awake. Through blurry vision, she saw Hotohori in front of her, Tai Itsukun beside them and Nuriko and Tamahome off to the side. In the haze of her pain, she wondered about Shen and Piao. "Hotohori? What's going on?" She asked weakly.

"Shhh…you need rest… Piao and Shen are fine…" That was all she managed to make out before pain overtook her senses again and she blacked out. 

Hours later, Kohana began to come to again. This time she was in a large bed made up with many red silk sheets and blankets. She tried to moved, but just didn't have the energy.

"You always try to over extend yourself, don't you?" A soft voice chuckled next to her.

She turned to her side and saw Hotohori's smiling face. "Hotohori…wh…where are we?" She began to push herself up.

He held her down with one arm. "Stop…you're body is exhausted. We're in Tai Itsukun's palace…or Baba as you called her."

"Oh…yeah…I think I vaguely remember that…" She put her hand against her forehead. She suddenly realized something. Hotohori didn't have a shirt on. Then she realized she wasn't wearing a shirt either, just a bra. Despite the pain, she sat bolt upright and wrapped the sheet around her body. "What the hell is going on?!" She glared at him. 

"Nothing!" He realized what was going through her mind. "Tai Itsukun took your ruined shirt before she did the blood transfusion."

"Blood transfusion?" She stared at his arm. It was bandaged up. "Wait…did you…you gave me your blood?"

"You would have died." He looked at her with a slightly pained expression, as if he couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

"Hotohori…" She touched his face with the hand that wasn't still gripping the sheet. 

"Kohana…" He pulled her into his embrace. She held onto him tightly.

"So…this is the place where I'm supposed to be able to go home?"

"Yes…Tai Itsukun said she could help…" He sounded a little disappointed.

"You…you don't want me to go…do you?" She looked up at his eyes.

"I…no…I'm worried you won't come back…"

"I could never do that…I told you I'd be your priestess…I meant it…"

"Is that the only reason you'd come back? Because of a promise to my country?" His embrace loosened. 

"No! No, it's not. I have other reasons…"

"Like?"

Her blush deepened. "You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." She turned her eyes from his. "I love you…I realized it this morning…I would come back here to see you even if I wasn't the priestess, okay? Are you happy now that I've told you?" Her voice sped up. She was just a little afraid, a little panicked since she put her feelings out into the open. 

Her fears seemed a million miles away though when Hotohori pulled her close once again and kissed her passionately. She barely felt the sheet slid off her body bringing them closer. "I love you Kohana…" The words were like music to her ears. She sighed happily in his arms. Somehow, she felt compete. She hadn't felt this happy or complete since the day her sister and Tasuki admitted their feelings for each other.

After a few minutes, Kohana began to think about Piaoliang and Shen Yuan. "Hotohori?"

"Yes?"

"Where are Piao and Shen? I can't remember seeing them…"

"Shen took Piao to another room to rest. Tai Itsukun told us she'd explain what happened to Piao once you and her were both awake."

"Can we go check on them?"

"Of course. You seem well rested now." He smiled. 

She blushed and found a shirt next to the bed and put it on. With Hotohori's help, Kohana got to the other room. 

Hotohori knocked on the door. After a moment, Shen said they could come in. Shen was sitting on the bed with Piao. She was awake, though still dazed. She smiled when she saw Kohana. "You're okay!"

"Yeah. A little shaky but mostly okay."

Piao arched an eyebrow as she looked back and forth at Kohana and Hotohori. Kohana gave her a 'Don't say anything' look. 

"Oh good you're both awake." Tai Itsukun appeared behind Kohana and Hotohori. Tamahome and Nuriko brought up the rear.

"So what exactly just happened?" Nuriko asked.

"You all just fought with a demon created by a lost spirit who calls herself Naraku. You've met her before." Tai Itsukun looked at Kohana.

"A lost spirit? I haven't met that many people here and certainly no one named Naraku…" Kohana sat on the bed with Piaoliang.

"Well, she didn't tell you her name was Naraku. She told you her name was Nanase."

"The girl in the forest?"

"I knew she was creepy!"

"Wait! Can you please explain to me what I did out there? I'm still confused!" Piao protested.

"You, Piaoliang, cast a spell. There is only one other besides you that can destroy the demons Naraku creates." Tai Itsukun continued before Piaoliang could interrupt. "It all started almost 400 years ago. 

"A family of powerful magicians lived in this world. They lived in a part of the world that no god calls its own. These magicians had two daughters, both inheriting all the power of their family.

"The older sister enjoyed using the power to destroy, the younger to help. As you can imagine, the younger was therefore very well loved and welcomed everywhere. The older of course despised her younger sister but wouldn't change her ways. She was shunned from many places and became very bitter. People ignored her, she was forced to bask in the shadow of her younger sister.

"The time came for the older sister to be married, but no one wanted her, every man vied for the hand of the younger magician, particularly a young man who's own powers rival those of either sister. He was completely in love with her, as she soon was with him.

"The date was set for the wedding between the younger sister and the young man. The older sister's jealousy raged. She ranted and raved to her parents about the disgrace of having her younger sister married before her, but nothing could be done. No one, not even her own family, could stand the older girl's evil heart. They banished her from the town after she attempted to kill her younger sister in her sleep.

"A few months past, and the older sister was forgotten. The town was almost prepared for the wedding when the evil one appeared again. She went on a killing spree in nearby towns in order to draw her sister out. And her sister rose to the challenge, vowing to punish her sister for everything she'd done. Her fiancé went with her to face the evil one.

"The battle between the sisters lasted for days. Rage sustained the older while the younger and the young man sustained each other. Eventually, the younger won and had no choice but to kill her sister for the good of the world. With her last breath, the older sister vowed to return and have her revenge. 

"The younger woman and man realized something after the evil one was gone: They couldn't stay together. Their love had been the last straw for the older sister. Staying together would most likely rouse the vengeful spirit, so they decided to go their separate ways, never to see each other again. The younger sister when her way and had a family. The young man went his way and had his own family. Though they never forgot each other. 

"Naraku is that older sister, come back to seek her revenge. And Piaoliang, you are descended from the younger sister."

Piaoliang's jaw dropped. "I'm what?!?!"

"You heard what I said."

"Wait, you said there was someone else who could fight Naraku. Who?" Kohana asked.

"A descendant from the young man. Shen. Who else?"

Shen stared at the oracle in disbelief. Piaoliang fainted. Everyone stared in silence. 

"Wow." Kohana was amazed. "Cool."

"Well, I'll leave you with that for now. Kohana, when you feel ready, we can send you home for a time."

"Okay."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later in the evening, Piaoliang and Kohana sat in one of the bedrooms thinking about the day. Piaoliang sighed.

"Thinking about what Tai Itsukun said?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"True."

"I mean, why wouldn't my parents tell me about some powerful magician in my family?"

"Maybe they didn't know. It's possible that the younger sister never told anyone about her powers or something."

"Maybe…but then Shen…if my family and his family went separate ways, how'd we end up in the same village?"

"Just lucky I suppose."

"Jeez…it's too weird…"

"Well, Naraku seems to have found her way back here. You and Shen might have to be the one to get rid of her."

She sighed. "And to think, this morning, I was just a girl from a small village who worked in the palace."

"Almost the same thing I was thinking the first night I spent here."

"Oh yeah…you ready to go home?"

"I think so…" She looked at the floor.

"I take it your gonna miss a couple of things…"

Kohana rolled her eyes. "Yes I will. But it's not like I'm not coming back."

"Hotohori was worried about that."

"Yeah, I know. But that's been settled."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Whatever happened between you and Shen by the river."

"I was wondering when that would happen…"

"Oh, shush!"

The two girls laughed. 

"So you'll come back soon?"

"As soon as I can."

"Good. The palace won't be the same without you."

"I know. I'm just so special." Kohana grinned.

"Most definitely." Piaoliang faced Kohana. "There was something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you know Tai Itsukun?"

"Umm…well…we don't we go see Tai Itsukun?" Kohana went for the door. Piaoliang didn't really understand, but went after Kohana.

The men were in the main room with Tai Itsukun. She looked at Kohana. "Ready Kohana?"

"I think so."

"Do we get to find out how you two know each other now?" Piaoliang was getting impatient. 

"In due time, Piaoliang. You've had enough complicated stories for today."

Piaoliang was about to protest again when Shen's hand on her shoulder quieted her. She stopped complaining and let Tai Itsukun continue. 

The last thing Kohana remembered before arriving at home was looking at Hotohori. She mouthed the words 'I'll be back soon.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana woke up in the park. It was pretty dark out. Stumbling to her feet, she headed for the bus stop. She got on and waited patiently until the bus got to a top near her home. She ran off the bus and down a couple of streets to a nice home. She found her keys in her bag and opened the front door. All the lights were out. She yawned and went into the living room. Too tired to change clothes and go into her own room, she curled up on the couch and fell asleep. 

A few minutes later, someone came walking through the door. It was Tasuki. He saw her lying on the couch and went over to her. "Kohana?"

She sleepily looked up. "Ni-chan?"

"Welcome home, Kohana."

"Thanks, Tasuki. Is Ayame still up?"

"No. She's been pretty stressed all day."

"I can imagine…"

"You wanna go into your room?"

"If you carry me."

He chuckled and picked her up. He carried her into the bedroom. "Good night Kohana."

"Night." She quickly drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Woo. That was a long one. Hope you guys liked it.

Random Disclaimer: The 'spells' used in the chapter are slight alterations of some spells used in vol. 2 of _Under the Glass Moon._ Technically not mine. Just thought I had to say that.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	9. Changing Winds

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 9: Changing Winds**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana rubbed her eyes as she began to wake up. Birds chirped loudly outside her window. She sat up in bed. Her shirt was a mess, so was her hair. Looking around, it took her a moment to realize she was home. After a quick change of clothes, she went into her sister's room. Both Ayame and Tasuki were still asleep.

She sat on the edge of her bed and gently shook her sister. "Nee-chan! I'm home. Wake up!"

At first, Ayame just waved away her younger sister's hands. Kohana let out an annoyed snort and shook harder. "Quit sleeping, nee-chan!"

Ayame suddenly opened her eyes. "Kohana!" Before she could respond, Ayame sat up and hugged her sister. "Thank goodness you're home! I was so worried! Don't do that again! Do you have any idea what your little trip into that book has done to me? How did you get here? When did you get here?"

"I'm sorry! It was an accident!" Kohana returned her sister's hug. "I'm really sorry!"

Kohana and Ayame squealed back and forth about missing each other, waking Tasuki up. He smiled. Kohana saw him awake. "Ni-chan!" She shifted into the middle of the bed and hugged him too. 

Tasuki returned the young girl's hug. "Hey you. How ya feeling?"

"Oh wow, am I glad to be home! Not that Konan's not cool or anything, but I missed you guys!"

"Oh! I should tell Amiboshi and Ruri that you're home. They've been looking for you too!" Ayame kicked off her blankets and ran to the phone in the other room.

Kohana looked up at Tasuki. "Has she been like that the whole time I've been gone?"

"Yep." Tasuki nodded.

"How long have I been gone?"

"Almost 2 days." Tasuki embraced the young priestess.

Kohana sighed and leaned into his arms. "Then you're really not gonna like it when I say I'm going back, are you ni-chan?"

He winced. He knew it was coming, but didn't really want to admit it. "No…not in the least. Konan's dangerous."

"I'm not defenseless. And I have people to protect me." She grabbed Tasuki's sleeve. "I _have_ to go back!"

"I was afraid you'd say that." He stood up and looked her over. "Man…you really have grown up…"

"Then you'll accept that I'm going back?"

"Grudgingly, but yes. Naraku…she's…she's like nothing I've seen before and I've seen a lot. I'd rather never see you face her again." He put his hand on her shoulder. "But this is who you were meant to be."

"What do you mean, ni-chan?"

"The gods have always known you were going to grow up and be a priestess. That's why your wish was granted 10 years ago."

"Really?" He nodded. "Wow…that's weird…well, I suppose it makes sense. That's a lot to take in…"

"I know, but…"

"Kohana! Can you help me with breakfast?" Ayame yelled from the kitchen.

"Sure!" She looked at Tasuki. "We'll talk later?"

"Yeah. Probably with Ayame, Amiboshi and Ruri too."

"Okay." Kohana nodded and ran to join her sister in the kitchen.

Ayame was mixing a pitcher of orange juice. "Kohana?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me something."

"Sure?"

"When are you headed back there?"

"Huh?" Kohana stared at her sister.

"I know you want to go back and see your friends."

"You can tell already?"

"I'm your sister. I know these things." Ayame put down the pitcher and sat at the table. "It's written all over your face. You want to go back to Hotohori."

Kohana blushed furiously. "I…I…"

"He's part of you in more ways than one. That whole world is, I know." She smiled. "Even if I told you to stay here, you'd go."

"Well yeah…I'd feel pretty bad though…"

"Then you wouldn't be able to do everything you can for them. Spend some time at home, maybe just until this afternoon, then you can go."

"Th…thank you, nee-chan." Kohana smiled. "It means a lot to me. I thought you'd freak out a lot more." She hugged her older sister.

"My freaking out got done while you were in there the first time. I think I'm done with that." Ayame chuckled and returned her sister's hug. 

Kohana laughed and they got to work on breakfast.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

White sails billowed in the strong wind. Salt water blew up from the sea and across the face of a young sailor sitting at the bow of a huge boat. 

Another sailor soon accompanied the seated one. "Umi, what's up? You've been sitting there all day. The other crew members are getting a little pissed off by your lack of work." 

The sailor known as Umi looked at the other. "The winds are changing. Have been for a while. We're in for a rough ride if we stay out here. I suggest we head for the mainland and find out what's been going on lately. Been a while since we had contact with the land-dwellers anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Have I ever been not sure?" Umi stared at the black haired sailor.

"No. That's true." He started walking towards the mast.

"Ryuuji?" Umi stood up. 

"Yeah?"

"It's Captain Umi. Don't forget it."

"I doubt I'll ever really get used to it…Captain." Ryuuji lowered his gold eyes and left his captain at the bow of the boat and went to give the orders to the rowers.

Umi looked up at the sky. The setting sun cast a warm crimson glow on everything. "Red sun at night, sailor's delight. So Suzaku, whatcha got for us?" A quick chuckle and Umi went to join the crewmembers and explain in more detail the sudden change in plans.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Suboshi stared at Momo's door, hand raised, ready to knock. Yet he couldn't. _'She's gonna kill me…she's gonna kill me on the spot! She hasn't even spoken to me in a week. I can't ever make up for what I did…'_ He almost walked away when a message from his brother appeared on the back of his hand. _Don't chicken out. 'Thanks for the support, Aniki…'_ Suboshi took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Suboshi slowly opened the door and came in. "Oh, it's you…you knocked this time."

He winced. "Momo…I really want to apologize for that. It was a complete accident!"

"What were you doing coming into my room anyway?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to sneak into town with me. I know palace life bores you…"

"Well…at least you had good intentions." She wouldn't face him.

"And…well…I'd understand if you told me to leave you alone, but please understand that it was an accident…"

No response came from her. Suboshi lowered his head and turned around. "Well…if that's how it is then…" Suddenly he heard a dull thud. When he turned around, he saw Momo lying on the floor, motionless, barely breathing, eyes wide with fear. "Momo!" He ran to her side and pulled her upper body into his lap. "Momo! Speak to me! Yell at me! Throw something at me! Blink! Anything!" But Momo was dead to the world. Suboshi yelled and shook her, but couldn't get a response from her. "Seiryuu help me, what's wrong with her?" In his panicked state, he didn't even notice a tear run down his cheek or the faint black glow of the dream catcher on Momo's wall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hello?" Momo looked around a dark room. "Anyone here? Where is here?" She began to walk forward. A sudden force prevented her from going anywhere else. "Huh?" She changed direction, but was immediately stopped by another invisible wall. When she check the other sides, the same. She was boxed into an area of about 9 square feet. 

She began to feel sick. "Hello!?!? Someone, please help me!!!" She pounded on her invisible barriers. "Please! Let me out!" She hated small spaces. Ever since she was a child, she couldn't stand small, enclosed spaces. 

She heard a female voice laughing. "I just love toying with prey."

"Who's there?!?!?" Her voice quickened in her panic. "Let me out or you'll be sorry!!!" Somewhere, in the unpanicked portion of her mind, the voice was familiar.

Suddenly, the floor dropped from beneath her and she began falling. Fear, panic, anger, sadness, confusion…all emotions mixed into her scream. 

When she landed, she found herself unhurt and somewhere near a lake on a bright day. "Great…now where am I?" She tried to sound angry instead of scared. 

"Could you be any more worthless?" A spiteful voice grabbed her attention. She turned and saw someone that looked and sounded like Kohana, only her eyes were red. "Is it any wonder I never wanted to be friends with you?" She laughed. 

"Huh? Who are you?"

"I'm Kohana, idiot. Who do I look like?" She rolled her eyes. "No wonder Suboshi hates you."

"Wha?"

Suboshi suddenly walked up next to Kohana. "I hate you Momo. You're such a bitch. I do one little thing wrong and you can't even find it in your heart to forgive me. Oh wait, you don't have a heart, do you?" He asked with a sneer.

"Why…why are you acting like this?"

"Who's acting? As soon as we get rid of you, I can be the new, appropriate priestess of Seiryuu. Then Suboshi and I can have some fun together." Kohana wrapped her arms around Suboshi's neck.

"S…stop it! What's going on?! You two don't even know each other!" Momo started to cry and fell to her knees.

"How naïve." Suboshi muttered and gave Momo a swift kick in the ribs. 

She yelped and fell to the ground. It hurt this time. "Please stop being like this…"

"They're just being the way they should be." A hand appeared on Kohana's right shoulder and another on Suboshi's left. A face emerged from the shadows, Naraku. "Weak little girl…kill her."

Momo's face twisted in shock and fear. How could the same kind girl from the market be attacking her like this? She got up and started to back away. "Get away from me!"

Suboshi began to approach her. A sword made of black metal materialized in his hand.

Kohana laughed maliciously. "I've been waiting for this for a long time now!" 

Suboshi swung the sword in a vicious arc, slicing into Momo's stomach. She cried in pain. It stung. It burned. It hurt in every way imaginable. She stared at the blood on her fingers. _'Is this it? Is this real?'_ She asked herself.

"Of course it's real. Prepare to meet your doom, girl." Naraku laughed. 

Momo closed her eyes and waited her Suboshi's next and final blow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana nearly cried when she heard Ayame read about the mind games Naraku was playing with her. "Dammit! And I can't even help her! Why's Naraku going after her? Momo hasn't done anything!" 

"Naraku doesn't need a reason. She just attacks." Amiboshi frowned. "Momo's…vulnerable right now…she doesn't understand the _Universe of the Four Gods._ Nor does she understand own her feelings. It makes her an easy target."

Kohana made a fist. "And Naraku wonders why people hate her…she…I wish there was something I could do…"

Ruri gave Kohana's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "She'll figure out that it's not real." _'I hope.'_

Kohana's head jerked up. She suddenly thought of something and ran from the room for a second.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Suboshi stared at Momo. "Come on you…please just do something…you're really scaring me…" 

He touched her cheek. Her skin was so cold. He picked her up and put her back on the bed. Something above him caught his attention. He looked up at the dream catcher on the wall. The strings glowed with a strong, eerie black light. "What the?" 

Suboshi frowned and went to grab it. When his hand came closer, a cold flame snapped out at his hand. He cringed and looked down at Momo. "Gotta get rid of that thing, you know?" He wrapped his arms around her. "What can I do to make you wake up?" 

He ran his fingers through her hair and leaned in closer to her. Suboshi shivered slightly when he felt how cold her lips felt against his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo continued to wait for the blade, but she never felt it. She looked up and saw Suboshi…times two.

The red-eyed Suboshi growled as the normal Suboshi held the black sword away from Momo.

"Suboshi…and…Suboshi?" She groaned in confusion.

"Don't tell me someone wants to save you…" Kohana sneered. 

"More than one!" Suddenly, the red-eyed Kohana fell over. The blue-eyed Kohana stood over her doppelganger, baseball bat in hand. It faded away in a cloud of black smoke. "Come on Momo." She smiled and offered her hand to Momo.

"How…how did you get here?" She took Kohana's hand.

"Amazing what a pen can do to a book." Kohana supported Momo.

Suboshi wrestled the sword away from his clone and stabbed it. It let out a howl and dissipated into smoke like the other. The sword dissolved into dust. He looked at Kohana. "Who are you?"

"She's a…friend…" Momo gave a weak smile. 

Naraku screamed. "Forget about me?!"

"You're pretty forgettable." Kohana frowned. "You're not gonna win Naraku, whatever your plan is."

"Naraku?" Suboshi and Momo were both confused. 

"To make a long story short, the vengeful spirit of a long dead magician."

"So, you've found my story. Then you know you can't get rid of me." She shrugged. "Well, I've had my fun for now. You can have your peace." She extended her arms and disappeared. 

"No!" Suboshi ran at the spot where Naraku was. "Come out and fight!"

"Suboshi…" Momo staggered over to her seishi. 

"Hey! What are you doing? You're hurt!" He caught her as she almost fell. 

"I'm sorry!" She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry I've been such a bitch about one little accident." She cried.

He embraced her. "It doesn't matter. Right now, we've gotta find a way outta here."

"Just wake up. This is Momo's dream." Kohana walked up to them.

"How do you know?" Momo stared at her. 

"Because technically, I'm in our world right now reading the book. I'm here cause I kinda added to the book…" She grinned. "Want me to get anything from home for you that I can give to you when I come back here?"

"N…no…thanks for the offer though…" As Kohana began to leave, Momo remembered something. "Kohana!"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you planning to attack Kutou?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not attacking anyone? Why would I? You know I'm not that violent."

"Never mind…dumb question…" She shook her head. "See ya later."

"Later!" Kohana smiled and ran off into the darkness, disappearing as mysteriously as she came.

"Was that the priestess of Suzaku?"

"Yeah…Kohana…" She nodded.

"Come on. Let's get back to the palace." He wrapped his arm around her waist.

She nodded and pressed her body into his. She closed her eyes and felt their bodies pulled out of the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana smiled as she finished off her new section of the book. "There. Now everything's right."

_'I wonder if that was a good idea.'_ Tasuki thought to himself.

Ayame noticed the look on his face. She ignored it and looked at Kohana. "So, wanna get ready to go?" She nodded and went to her room. Ayame watched her gather a few things together. "It's funny…"

"What is?" Kohana stopped with her roller blades in her hands.

"You…you remind me of Mom. She probably would have already been back in there…"

"R…really?" 

"Really." Ayame smiled. "They'd be proud of you."

"I wish I could have known them…"

"So do I." Ayame handed Kohana a sweatshirt. "But for now, kick some demon butt."

"Thanks, nee-chan."

After a few last preparations, Kohana said her goodbyes to Ayame, Ruri, Tasuki, Amiboshi, the twins and her nephew. She picked up the book. "Well, be back when I can." A red light engulfed her and she was gone. 

Tasuki missed her as soon as she was gone. _'Suzaku, keep her safe…'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Suboshi felt Momo's lips warming against his. He pulled away a little and looked at her eyes.

She blinked a few times. "Suboshi…"

"Momo…"

"Thanks for coming for me…"

"Anything to protect you…" He murmured before gently kissing her again.

She curled up in his arms. "Again…I'm so sorry for treating you so badly…"

"I should have knocked…"

She buried her face in his shoulder. "It was an accident…"

He gently touched her stomach. He felt no blood. "You're okay…"

"I don't think it was real…she was…playing with my head…"

Suboshi studied her face. "Promise you won't scare me like that again?"

"Okay…" Momo curled up in his arms. "I promise." Suboshi's embrace was surprisingly comforting. She almost wished she didn't have to leave, but other things had to be done. "Suboshi?"

"Yeah?"

"We have to get rid of that dream catcher."

"Yeah…it was glowing black before…"

"Was it? I never should have taken it."

"You didn't know…"

She pulled it off the wall. "How should we get rid of it?"

"We can burn it in the fire in the temple of Seiryuu."

"Sounds good." They left the room and headed to the shrine.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"UF!!!" Kohana landed with a thud. "Ow…" She was on her back, staring up at the open morning sky. _'Okay…where am I now? Hmmm…'_ She looked around. _'Okay…I'm somewhere just outside the city…'_

She picked herself up. "Well, guess I better head to the palace." She could see the outline of some of the taller areas of the palace. 

She pulled the hood on her sweatshirt up and went into town. She went around unnoticed. People were too busy with their own lives to notice anyone else. Kohana saw the main steps and happily began to run up. A sword blade flashed in front of her when she reached the top.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

She jerked her head up. "Hey! It's just me!"

"Oops! Sorry Kohana!" Shen smiled sheepishly. "Didn't notice it was you."

"Just doing your job." She smiled and hugged him. "How's Piao? Heck, how's everyone? How long have I been gone?"

"About a week maybe? Give or take a few days I think. We were all wondering when you were coming back."

"Well, here I am. Feeling better and ready to do…whatever it is priestesses do."

"Should I go tell Hotohori?"

"Nah. I'll find him myself. Where is he?" She put down her bag and pulled out her roller blades.

"He's…probably in his room…what are those?" He watched as she started to put them on.

"Roller blades." She answered promptly as she snapped the last clasp shut and stood up. "See ya later." And with a quick push, she was gliding down the hall.

"Gotta wonder sometimes…" Shen murmured to himself.

"Bout what?" Piaoliang came out of a room with an armful of dirty sheets.

"Kohana's back."

"She is?" Piao perked up.

"Yeah. She's going to look for Hotohori."

"Of course that's her first stop." She smiled and tossed the sheets back into the room.

"Should we follow?"

"Of course!" She smiled and they began walking in the direction Kohana went.

"Hotohori? I'm back! You around?" She shouted as she sped around the halls. "Hotohori?!"

She looked in every open door she could. "Hotohori?"

Her calls finally reached Hotohori. "Kohana?" A door opened and he stepped out into the hall. Unfortunately, he stepped out right in front of Kohana.

She yelped and tried to stop. But it was too short a distance to stop and she crashed right into him. They both fell to the ground. Kohana blushed. She couldn't believe she was lying on top of him. "Whoops…ummm…told you I'd be back?" She giggled.

He chuckled and brushed the hair away from her face. "Been waiting for you."

"Well, here I am."

Hotohori ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her face closer to his. They almost kissed when someone clapping interrupted them. Kohana's head jerked up. Piaoliang and Shen were standing nearby watching them. Piaoliang was applauding. Kohana blushed. 

"Hi Piao!" 

"Havin' fun?"

A little girl's laughter suddenly rose up. "Kohana nee-chan!" An Hua came running down the hall. She very unceremoniously jumped on top of Kohana. "Are we playing a game?"

"Sure An." Kohana giggled. 

"An Hua! What are you doing?" Nuriko ran up to them. 

"Playing!" She giggled. 

"What an interesting game." Chichiri was coming down the hall with Tamahome. "I missed this one when I was a kid." She chuckled.

Tamahome said nothing.

"It's a every fun game. Dog pile on the emperor." Kohana grinned. 

An Hua giggled. Hotohori did his best to look somewhat dignified, even with the 16-year-old and 10-year-old on top of him. Nuriko picked up his little sister and helped Kohana up. An Hua sat on her brother's shoulders. 

"So, now that I'm back, what is it exactly that I'm supposed to do? I'm supposed to find seishi or something right?"

"We can get into that later." Hotohori answered as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes. "You just got back. We don't have to get back to work right away."

"Okay. Gotta catch up on palace gossip anyway." Kohana grabbed Piaoliang's hand and dragged her down the hall. Poor Piao had a bit of a tough time keeping up with her, but Kohana slowed down after a bit and made it easier for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo sat among some flowers in the palace gardens with a scroll containing ancient legends of this world. She scanned the characters looking for any mention of a spirit named Naraku. There had to be some way to defeat her, right? Or at least a clue about something. Though she had some difficulty reading ancient Chinese, she could stumble though it.

A sudden rustle in the leaves caught her attention. She looked around. Nothing. She scanned a few more lines. 

Another noise. 

This time she stood up. "Nakago? Soi? You out here?" Another snap. Closer this time. "Amiboshi? Suboshi? Are you trying to freak me out?" _'Why do I keep getting attacked?'_ The snap was louder and again, closer.

"Who's there? This isn't any way to treat the priestess of Seiryuu!" She spoke nervously.

Her questions were answered suddenly. When it came, she almost wished it hadn't. She found herself staring at the biggest, strongest, blackest wolf she'd ever seen. 

Gleaming white fangs peeked out from underneath its lips. They were the only color except for its blue eyes against the glossy black fur coat. The wolf began to approach her, eyeing her carefully.

"Nice doggy…good doggy…don't eat me…" She backed up a little. "Please?"

The wolf continued on towards her. Desperately trying to remember some sort of safety tip, she crouched into a little ball and covered her head with her hands. At least if the wolf attacked, it would bite her arms, not her head. She closed her eyes hoping for the best.

The wolf soon stood right in front of her. After contemplating her for a moment, the wolf put its nose against her forearm and pushed her backwards. Not prepared for that, Momo lost her balance and tumbled backwards, right into a pond. Landing with a splash and a few curses she glared at the wolf. "What the hell is the matter with you?!?!" She angrily slapped the water, splashing the wolf, not caring now if it attacked her. It made no move from the shore though. 

In fact, it had a rather mischievous look in its eyes. To Momo, it looked like it was…laughing? "Hey you! Are you laughing at me?" She stood up in the water. "I already had a bath today you know!"

The wolf sat down on its hind legs. To her amazement, it started to change. Within a minute, a black haired young man with clear blue eyes was sitting cross-legged on the shore, chuckling at her. He couldn't have been much older than her, definitely not as old as Nakago or Soi. "Priestess huh? Well, Seiryuu is the god of water. It suits you, Lady Priestess." He leaned back in the grass and let out a louder laugh. Pearly white fangs shone brightly in the sun.

"Why you…" She grabbed a fistful of mud and plants and flung it at the man. "Who do you think you are?!?!"

"Not gonna ask me what I am?" He asked, interested she wasn't more interested in his transformation. He gingerly wiped the dark mud off his face.

"I don't care." She growled as she stormed out of the water. "You could be Seiryuu himself, I'll still kick you sorry ass for that!!! You scare the crap outta me for no reason, push me into a pond and then laugh at me?! Now I'm pissed!" She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to his feet.

"Can't hurt me too much Lady Priestess. Otherwise you'll be minus one seishi." He chuckled and stood up. "It's going to be very amusing being here."

Momo's jaw dropped. "You…you're a seishi? One of mine?"

He bowed. "Ashitare. Some soldiers were sent to find me a while ago."

Momo's blood boiled. "So you greet me by pushing me into the pond?!" She flung him into the pond. "Seiryuu, god of the water. It suits you, Shichiseishi Ashitare." She said smugly.

Ashitare chuckled again as he got out of the water, completely soaked. "Now I know I'm gonna like it here." He transformed himself back into a wolf and shook off the water.

"Fine…might as well introduce you to the others…"

"Umm…Lady Momo? Are you…alright?" A rather confused male had entered the pond. "Why are you…did you go for a swim?" He held in a chuckle.

"Ha, ha, Soi." Momo sighed. "New seishi decided to amuse himself but scaring me then knocking me into the water." She glared at the wolf.

"New seishi? Where?"

"Here." She pointed to the wolf. "He's Ashitare. He can turn into a human and back again."

"Does he sit and shake paws with people or should I wait?"

Momo giggled. Ashitare looked rather indignant. She pat his head. "Now I know I'm gonna like you being here." Ashitare whined, letting her know she won. "Well, should we tell Nakago about the new addition? I'm getting some fresh clothes first."

Soi and Ashitare nodded and followed her back to the palace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana looked over Hotohori's shoulder as he pulled out the scroll that told of how to find the remaining seishi. She didn't understand any of it, but figured Hotohori or someone else would read it for her. "So this tells us where the seishi are?"

"Roughly."

"So we go out and find them?"

"We could, or we could send soldiers to places to find them."

"I don't wanna send soldiers! I wanna see the rest of the country."

"It could be dangerous."

"So? I could use some adventure. Maybe we can find out some stuff about Naraku too."

"I suppose."

"It's not like I have anything to worry about as long as you're with me." She smiled gently. 

"You know exactly how to get your way don't you?" He chuckled.

"Always have." She sat with him on the bed. 

"Well, we'll start making preparations to leave then. The sooner the other 3 are found, the better."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo growled at the scroll she was looking at. The only word she could make out about Naraku was 'power'. _'Damn you for being so un-understandable!'_ She desperately wished for a Chinese to Japanese dictionary. 

Nakago happened to be walking by the palace archives door. _'That'll work.'_ "Nakago!" She ran after the general with the scroll.

"Yes, my Lady?"

"What's this say?" She handed over the scroll.

Nakago looked it over. "'Legends speak of the vengeful spirit's power contained in the crystal pendant that hangs from her neck.' May I ask why you are looking at ancient legends?" Nakago raised one eyebrow as she handed back the scroll.

"Ummm…curiosity?" She offered and took back the scroll. "Thanks." She quickly went back into the archives and shut the door.

Nakago was a little surprised by her actions. Soi happened to be walking down the hall. "Soi?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Have you noticed Lady Momo acting…oddly?"

"Personally I don't know what normal is for her, but she does seem a little, different today…" Soi produced a scroll from his belt. "I found this in the gardens after Ashitare came."

Nakago skimmed it. It was a scroll completely dedicated to Naraku. "What do you make of it?"

"I don't know. It's odd…"

"Yes…well, thank you for the information."

"To serve you, my Lady." He began to bow.

"Save it Soi." She snapped at him. "I'm not one of those prissy court women. Don't treat me as such." She frowned.

"Of course." Soi's amber eyes reflected the dim lights of the hall.

Nakago looked Soi over for a moment. "Thank Seiryuu you're not like them…"

"Like who?" He gave her a funny look.

"Every imbecile in this rotten palace." She headed down the hallway in the opposite direction of the one Soi had been going in before she stopped him.

Soi wasn't quite sure what Nakago meant by her words, but was happy she thought something of him. He had to admit he had been attracted to the powerful woman since he came to the palace. Perhaps even before then, when he heard people talk about her in the inns he'd roamed among. He'd always hoped for a chance to meet her. She was everything people claimed her to be: beautiful, powerful, brilliant, cunning, the driving force of Kutou. Many people would like to see her on the throne. Though not their worst emperor, the current emperor of Kutou did leave much to be desired. He was kind, yet had no control of his country. 

Soi smiled to himself. Though not a typical compliment, he knew Nakago's words were meant to be taken to heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Come on ni-chan!! I wanna come too!" An Hua jumped up and down, angry with her brother.

"An, you can't. It's way too dangerous!" Nuriko knelt down to his sister's height. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"PLEASE?!?!?" She got teary eyed. "I don't want you to go away again! I got real lonely!"

Kohana watched Nuriko fight a losing battle with his sister. They planned on leaving for the country in the morning, but An Hua wasn't to keen on the idea. Hime sat at Kohana's feet, watching the seishi and his little sister.

"I wanna see the rest o' Konan! Please?!?!?" She sniffled.

"But what happens if something bad happens?"

"You can protect me. You're the strongest guy ever!" 

"So what's the score?" Chichiri stood next to Kohana.

"An Hua: 10, at least. Nuriko: a big fat nothing." She smiled.

"Figures. Guy's helpless when it comes to dealing with little girls."

"What guy knows how to deal with us?"

"True." Chichiri smiled. "Nuriko, can I speak to you for a moment?" She beckoned to him with her finger. 

"What?" He came over.

Kohana went to keep An Hua company. "You wanna go with us huh?"

"Yeah! But ni-chan's being mean!" 

"He's just worried. It's what big brothers do."

"Does your big brother?"

"Yeah. In his own way. So does my sister."

"So you think I shouldn't come with?"

"I didn't say that. I want you to come with, but Nuriko's in charge, you know?"

"Yeah." She shifted from foot to foot. 

Chichiri quickly finished off her deal with Nuriko. Nuriko came back over. "An?"

"Yeah?" She ran over to him.

"You can come with on one condition."

"What? I'll do what you want! I just wanna come!" 

"You can, but if things get bad, you have to go with Chichiri. She'll take you someplace safe."

"Okay!" An Hua did a little dance. "I get to come!"

Kohana giggled. "Well, that made her day." Hime's tail flicked back and forth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The company rode for two weeks before arriving at their destination. It was a small port town on the ocean. Rumor had it that pirates sometimes docked there. 

They rented a couple of rooms at the inn and went to eat. The dinning area was filled with rowdy men and tough bar maids that kept them in line. Despite how mean they looked, most of them were pretty nice. An Hua made friends with a lot of them, almost giving Nuriko a heart attack when she kept disappearing. The ones one should stay away from were sitting in corners. 

An Hua took a particular interest in one person sitting at the bar, all alone, sipping a drink.

She walked over and hopped up onto the counter. "Hi! I'm An Hua!" She greeted cheerfully. Hime rubbed her head against the man's leg.

"Hi. Umi." 

"Are you here alone?"

"Are you?"

"I asked first." She stuck out her tongue. 

The man chuckled. "No, I'm not here alone." He pulled a scarf up over his face, letting only his blue eyes show. "Are you?"

"Nah, I'm with my brother and a bunch of friends."

"Why aren't you with them?"

"I've been making a lot of friends today." She smiled proudly.

"Careful who you make friends with. Some of these guys are dangerous."

"Are you?"

He chuckled again. "Dunno. Maybe a little."

"Don't look dangerous."

"Looks can be deceiving." He shrugged. An Hua studied him for a moment. "What"

"Nothin'. You just seem…different." She remarked quietly. A sudden crash caught their attention. The man turned around. One of the drunker men in the area was hassling a barmaid. She had thrown her tray for food at him and started beating on him.

Umi, disgusted with the man, crossed the room in what seemed like a few steps. An Hua went back to join her brother and the others.

"What did I tell you about getting drunk you moron?" Umi grabbed the drunken man by the collar.

"Huh?" He was just too drunk.

"Leave the bar maids alone!" He yelled and pushed the man back into a chair. 

The man tipped out of his chair and onto the floor. "Sure boss…" He muttered, very slurred. 

Umi looked at some of the others in the bar. "I'm going to my room. If I get even one complaint about how you all acted, you've all got double clean up duty. Am I clear?" His hard eyes seemed to be accented by the fact that they were the only part of his face that was visible.

"Yeah, boss…" The men nodded. Most were content to obey, but a few other grumbled about being ordered around.

Umi left the room.

"Wow…what a crowd…I can't believe there's a seishi around here." Piaoliang huddled close to Shen.

"I'll say. That one guy seems pretty decent though." Kohana watched him leave. 

"Umi's really the greatest." A maid came around to take some dishes from their table.

"Umi?" Hotohori asked.

"You people never heard of Umi? You from inland?"

"Is that a problem?" Nuriko was the next to speak up.

"Nah. Just odd. What are a bunch of inlanders doing here? Can't imagine what you'd want out here."

"We're looking for someone." Tamahome answered. "So who is Umi?"

She sighed happily. "He's the captain of the _Blue Phoenix_. And what a guy he is…"

"Isn't that a pirate ship?" Chichiri asked, being the most well traveled of the group.

"Yep, finest ship ever built. Umi's the best thing that ever happened to that ship. He's made it successful and respectable."

"How can a pirate be respectable?" Shen asked, curious.

"Umi's nice. Leave him alone." An Hua pouted.

"How would you know?" Nuriko looked at his sister suspiciously.

"I was talkin' to him."

Nuriko sighed. "You can't stay in one place, can you?" 

"Nope!" She giggled happily.

"Suzaku help me." Nuriko rolled his eyes.

The bar maid smiled and left the table.

After dinner, everyone went to their rooms. It was late, but Kohana and Piao insisted on taking a bath before going to bed. 

After cleaning up, they headed to their room. Unfortunately, there were some people who would rather they didn't make it there. Kohana only vaguely comprehended the arm gripping her waist as she fell unconscious with a cloth over her mouth. Piaoliang suffered the same fate. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chichiri tapped her foot on the floor. Something wasn't right. She hadn't heard any noise coming from Piao and Kohana's room. They couldn't have possibly gone to sleep already. She got up from her chair and went to the other room. She opened the door.

"Kohana?" The room was dark. "Piaoliang?" She lit a lamp on the table. It was completely empty. She bit her lip and went to the Hotohori and Shen's room. Nuriko, Tamahome and An Hua were sitting there too. "Have you guys seen Piao and Kohana?"

"Not since dinner. Why?" Hotohori stood up.

"I don't know where they are. Their room is empty." She looked worried.

"What?" Shen got up.

"I went to check on them and they were gone."

"Could they have gone out?" Tamahome offered. Everyone knew they had a tendency to explore.

"But not without telling someone, right?" Nuriko murmured. 

They all went to the room. It was indeed completely empty except for Hime sleeping near the window. Nuriko decided it would be better for An Hua to leave and Chichiri took her to Tai Itsukun's palace and stayed there with her. They began to look around the room.

"You're not going to find your friends like that." The 4 men turned towards the door. Umi stood in the doorway.

"You…what do you know?" Hotohori growled.

"Your friends are probably on the _Blue Phoenix. _Seems like some of the crew members liked 'em."

"Aren't you the captain?" 

"More like was. Even if the people in town like me, the crew is…well, less fond of me."

"What for?"

"They have their reasons…" Umi adjusted the scarf across his face.

"Can you help us find them?" Tamahome asked.

"Are you willing to trust a pirate like me?"

"Do we have a choice?" Shen growled.

"Good answer. Come on." He beckoned for them to follow. They headed for the port where the _Blue Phoenix_ was still docked. "You all are going to have to listen to me or else your friends will end up in more trouble. Here's how this is gonna work…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Another long chapter…there's just no place to break these things. Oh well, no one's complaining.

What do you guys think of the Seiryuu seishi? No one's really commented on them. Are they okay? Do they need changes? Anything at all?

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	10. Echoes at Sea

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 10: Echoes at Sea**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

Umi sat on top of a stack of boxes and barrels, checking the situation on the boat. A few people had watch, but no one to worry about according to him. He jumped back down to the docks. "Come on. Let's go."

"Where to?" Hotohori scrutinized the pirate.

"To find your goofy little friends. Where else?" Shen glared at the other man. "Okay…never mind the goofy…sorry." He rolled his eyes and walked down the dock.

"I don't really like trusting a pirate you know…" Shen muttered.

"Blah, blah, blah." He waved his hand around. "Don't care."

Shen rolled his eyes.

"So what, if anything do we have to look out for?" Nuriko was hoping for some kind of fight.

"Most of the Lake Fushicho pirates aren't that bad…most of them won't fight me. They know better. I doubt you'll even have to fight." He walked to the end of the ship. Nuriko saw him pull down the scarf, but couldn't see anything else. Umi licked his lips and let out a long, low whistle. The other men were quiet. After a moment, a dark outline appeared at the edge, kicked down a rope ladder and disappeared again.

"Who was that?"

"Ryuuji…my second in command." Umi quickly jumped to the ladder. "Come on, let's go." He began to climb.

"And if we fall?" Tamahome asked.

"Then you get wet. It's generally what happens when you fall in the water."

"Hey! That's not…"

"Enough. We have to worry about Kohana and Piaoliang." Nuriko stopped Tamahome from saying anything else.

"Kohana?" Umi's eyes flashed with interest. "Isn't that the priestess of Suzaku's name?"

"You've heard of her?" Shen was next up the ladder.

"Has anyone not?"

"Good point."

Once on deck, Umi pulled up the ladder and they sat among more crates and barrels. "What now?"

"We wait. Ryuuji will be here soon. He'll tell us what's going on."

Nuriko studied Umi carefully in the dark. He contemplated the idea of Umi being the seishi they were looking for, but didn't say anything about it. "Hey Umi?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever take off that scarf of yours?"

"Rarely."

"What? Are you hideously ugly or something?" Tamahome smirked.

Umi felt his eye twitch. Without a second thought, he grabbed Tamahome by the collar and flung him over the nearest rail. When the other men moved to protest, Umi held up one hand. "One, no one insults me. Two, more people will only make it more difficult to find your friend easily." Umi shifted uneasily. He could feel the ship steadily leaving the port. Someone had apparently ordered the departure. They'd soon be trapped out in the middle of the lake.

"Fine." Hotohori didn't really care.

"Are you all done getting rid of each other?" A pair of gold eyes flashed in the dark. "One of your friends is below deck with some of the other pirates. Kanaye has the other one…"

"What!" Umi grabbed the man. "How! Why didn't you stop him?"

"I couldn't! Not while he had the tessen." Ryuuji snapped back at his captain.

"Tessen? Isn't that one of the treasures of the Mt. Reikaku bandits?" Nuriko asked.

"Not anymore. The bandits gave it to us when we joined forces with them 30 something years ago. The leader of the Lake Fushicho pirates is supposed to carry it." Umi frowned beneath his scarf. "Damn…now it is gonna be harder to help them…Ryuuji, take them and find the girl below deck. I'll take care of Kanaye."

"Are you sure?" Ryuuji grabbed his arm as he began to walk away.

"Yeah. I knew this was coming." He twisted his arm from his friend's grip and walked off. Ryuuji frowned, but followed his orders. He beckoned for the other men to follow and went below deck.

Piaoliang tapped her foot against the floor. Most of the pirates were ignoring her. Occasionally one of them would call her over to fill up a cup, but that was about it. At first, she was terrified that they were going to kill her, but now she was just annoyed. But on the other hand she was also relieved. They weren't a bad bunch, just horrendously drunk. At first she contemplated trying to use magic, but she knew she could very well blow up the ship without knowing it since she didn't have any practice. Really, the safest thing to do was stay quiet and unnoticed.

Ryuuji was the first of the men to come down. He kicked the chair of one of the less drunk men. "You done with her?"

"Can't we keep her a little longer?" He asked, slightly slurred.

"Captain wants her now." Piao cringed.

"Who cares what that asshole wants! Kanaye's not even the real captain! You know that!" A bunch of men snapped back.

"What are we supposed to do as long as he has the tessen?" Ryuuji frowned.

"You've got a point…take her…" The man waved it off.

Ryuuji walked over to Piaoliang. "Come on."

She backed away. "No."

"Don't argue with me." He reached for her arm.

"I'm not going with you! You can't make me!" She slapped his hand away. "I'm not going near that creepy guy!"

He grabbed her again and pulled her closer. "Don't argue." He hissed. "Your friends are waiting for you."

"What?" She asked, wide eyed. "Where?"

"Come with me. And keep pretending to fight. The men are only gonna give you up if they think you're going to the fake captain."

"Fine…" She whispered back and let Ryuuji drag her away.

He pulled her from the room and down some dark hallways. She saw concern in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He let her arm go and let her walk on her own.

"You look worried."

"I was thinking about Umi."

"The captain?"

"Sh…He's going to fight Kanaye for that other friend of yours."

"Did you say she?"

"No." He answered her with a time that told her not to say anything else. "Your friends are close by…"

Umi kicked open the door to the room Kanaye was holding Kohana in. He could tell by the shouting and screaming. Kohana was throwing things at the pirate, trying to make him keep away. Kanaye had a knife drawn and now seemed more intent on killing her than his original plan for her.

"KANAYE! Get away from her!" Umi yelled and tackled him.

"Umi!" Kohana and Kanaye were both shocked.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Umi punched him in the face.

"This ship should be mine!" He yelled, brandishing the tessen. "Everyone knows why the late captain favored you! I am the rightful captain!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Umi snapped back. "You, girl, get out. Your friends are probably on deck with Ryuuji."

"But…"

"Go! This doesn't concern you anymore!" His eyes flashed with determination. Kohana stared at the pirates. She couldn't move. "Why aren't you going!"

Kanaye smirked. "Scared little girl…sound familiar?" Before Umi could lash out, Kanaye grabbed Kohana and ran from the room.

Umi cursed. He picked up a knife from the floor and ran, following Kohana's screams. "Figures…" He picked up his speed and blew past everyone in his way.

Kohana pounded on Kanaye's back as hard as she could. "PUT ME DOWN YOU BASTARD! PUT ME DOWN!"

Kanaye laughed. "Yeah right girl." He shifted her just right so that her head slammed into a wooden doorway as he ran. Bright white light exploded in her eyes and she passed out. "That outta keep you quiet…"

Umi found Kanaye on the upper deck of the ship. Kohana lay in a heap at his feet. Even in the dark, his eyes were sharp enough to see a small trickle of blood running down the side of her face. "You bastard! What did you do?"

"She was being annoying." He shrugged.

"You were gonna kill her, weren't you?" Umi started walking towards him. "You were gonna kill the priestess!"

"I had my orders."

"From who?" By now Ryuuji had brought the other seishi back to the upper deck.

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"Then I'll beat it outta you!" Umi lunged at him, weapon drawn.

Kanaye countered by using the tessen as a shield. "I'll get rid of you, then her."

"Never!" Umi spat in his face when he was close ehough.

"You bitch!" Kanaye backhanded him, sending him crashing to the deck.

'_Bitch?'_ Nuriko thought to himself and he and Hotohori ran to check on Kohana. '_Even if I was mad…I'd never call another guy a bitch…unless…'_ Something occurred to him when they first walked out of the inn. Umi didn't move very, well, manly. He was very light on his feet. There was just something about the way he carried himself.

Umi smirked beneath the scarf. "That all you got?" He stood up. "You take my ship, my pirates, my weapons…and all you can do is call me a bitch? I expected more of someone that could get the tessen out of my possession."

"I'll show you!" Kanaye raised the tessen high above his head.

"Shit!" Umi barely had time to move before Kanaye let loose a burst of flames. Pulling himself up, he felt a burning sensation in his left leg. He looked down and saw his pant leg burned and most of his leg burned as well. He cursed and pulled his scarf off to wrap it up.

Kohana was beginning to wake up. Nuriko and Hotohori leaned over, concerned. She blinked a few times as her vision cleared. "Oh…my head…"

"Kohana! Are you alright?" Hotohori wrapped his arm around her.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I gotta a killer headache though…" She looked back at Kanaye and Umi. "Who's that?"

"Who's who?"

"That woman."

"What woman?"

"Her." Kohana pointed to a woman fighting Kanaye on deck. Wavy sea green hair whipped past her blue eyes. She moved quickly and gracefully despite her hurt leg.

"Umi…Umi's a woman." Nuriko wasn't completely surprised. It should have been completely obvious before from the way she walked, talked and acted.

"A woman…hardly a capable leader." Kanaye scoffed and readied the tessen for another blow.

Umi snarled and lunged at Kanaye. "The old captain picked me to lead this group. That's exactly what I've done you greedy bastard!" She slashed up, intending to cut his throat, but he moved out of the way. Instead, her knife caught a chain on his neck. "What the…" She stared at the chain. A pitch black stone of some kind gleamed in the center.

She felt a chill run through her hand. Umi quickly yanked her hand back, cutting through the chain and letting it fall to the floor.

"No!" Kanaye watching in horror as the chain fell and the stone smashed into millions of tiny pieces.

Everything was still. Someone clicked their tongue in disappointment. "Kanaye…didn't I tell you not to lose that?"

"I…I didn't mean to!" He turned in fear to the disembodied voice. "She…"

"And here I thought I could count on you to kill those girls." A figure faded into view on the railing of the ship.

"Naraku!" Piaoliang clenched a fist.

"You…you're that little brat that destroyed my pet." Naraku frowned. "I'll deal with you in a minute." She turned back to Kanaye. "I told you I'd give you the ship if you killed the priestess of Suzaku. I suppose I shouldn't have sent a man to do the job. I'll do it myself."

"Wait! No! I can do it! I swear!" Kanaye went on his knees and begged for his life.

"Whatever." With a flick of her wrist, a black void appeared and sucked Kanaye in. "He'll make a nice snack for my pets." The tessen clattered to the deck.

"Hey! Kanaye was a bastard but you didn't have to kill him!" Umi leaned on Ryuuji.

"I'll do whatever I want. And believe me, you'll be next."

"Shut up and pick on someone your own size!" Piaoliang snapped angrily.

"You're really intent on dying aren't you?" Naraku smirked and shot a beam of magic at her.

Piaoliang crossed her arms over her head, creating some kind of shield. When Naraku saw it, she screamed furiously. "You! How could you know that spell! My sister was the only on that could do that! Tell me now!" Her eyes flashed with a deadly light. Piao said nothing. She only stared at the spirit. Shen stood nearby. Naraku became painfully aware of something. "No…it couldn't be…but it is." She hissed. "You're related to that wretch, aren't you! You're related to me! And you!" She glared at Shen. "You're the mirror image of that bastard! Now I see it." She suddenly smiled. "How amusing…but understand this: you will never be as powerful as the people who killed me the first time and I've grown stronger since then. You can't beat me." She placed one hand over her pendant and faded into the night.

"What the hell was that!" Umi stared in disbelief.

"We're not completely sure yet…" Kohana rubbed her head. She glanced at Umi. "So you're a girl?"

"Yeah, so what?" She let go of Ryuuji and limped across the deck where many of the pirates were coming to see what all the noise was.

"Nothing." Kohana noticed a faint red light coming out from her sleeve. "Hey Umi, what's that?"

"Huh?" She turned away from the happy crew.

"On your arm."

"Oh that." She rolled up her sleeve. "You guys are lookin' for this right?" She held up her arm to display a glowing red symbol.

"You…you're Tasuki?" The guys asked in slight disbelief.

"What? Can't handle another woman?" Chichiri suddenly appeared with An Hua. "I see everyone's relatively okay."

Tasuki looked thoughtful for a moment. She walked to the edge of the ship and kicked down the rope ladder used earlier. After another moment, Tamahome appeared at the railing.

"Welcome back." Nuriko snickered. The other seishi was soaked and pissed off.

"Shut up. Where's that bastard Umi? Sissy name for a guy if you ask me…" He muttered. Then he noticed Chichiri who was looking at Tasuki's leg. "Hello, I don't believe we've met."

"Then you believe wrong." She smirked.

"I'd think I'd remember a woman like you."

"Maybe if I toss you over the side again, it'll refresh your memory."

"Toss me…again?" His upper lip twitched. "Umi?" He asked, unsure.

"Yes?" She answered sweetly.

"Shit!" Tamahome almost let lose a string of swears when Nuriko put him into a head lock.

"Don't even think about swearing around my little sister. The last thing I need is her picking up something like that. If she get any of it I'll know where she got it from."

"Ummm…right." He tugged at Nuriko's arm. "Can't breathe here. Would you let go?" Nuriko dropped him. "Ow…thanks."

"Hi!" An Hua happily ran to join Tasuki on the crate she was sitting on. "You're Umi, right?"

"Yep." She smiled.

"What's that?" She poked the glowing spot on Tasuki's arm.

"It's my seishi symbol. I'm Tasuki."

"Like ni-chan?"

"Sorta, yeah."

"Then you're gonna come back to the capital with us?" She looked hopeful.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Yay!" An Hua hugged the older woman.

Chichiri finished bandaging her leg. "It's okay for now, but that's a pretty bad burn. I don't know how well it'll heal."

"Man…I never wanna be on the receiving end of my own weapon again…" She ran her fingers through her hair.

"That thing can really do some damage." Kohana nodded, wondering what her big brother had done with it when it was in his possession.

"How well will it heal?" Hotohori asked.

"Depends on how well it's taken care of." Chichiri stood up. "I'm not much of a doctor so it's not like I can do a whole lot, but I can make sure it doesn't get any worse."

"Hey ummm, Captain?" A few of the crewmembers approached her.

"Yeah?"

"This is just a rumor or whatever but…supposedly there's some amazing doctor up north that can cure anything. Maybe if you went up there you could get your leg looked at."

"Amazing doctor huh? Where'd you hear about it?"

"Last time we sailed up that way, the whole town was talking about some doctor saved some guy that was pretty much dead from some sickness. Don't know much more than that."

"One of the seishi is usually a healer." Shen noted.

"So we're going north then?" Nuriko leaned on the rail as the ship came back to port.

"I think one more night here so Tasuki can rest her leg, then yes. North sounds like the place to go." Chichiri nodded.

"You all can stay on the ship. Probably safer than the inn…" Tasuki limped towards the stairs to go to the lower deck. "Better check if Kanaye messed up my room…"

After Tasuki got to her room below deck, she closed her eyes and tried to will away the pain in her leg.

"Umi?" There was a soft knock at the door.

"Who's there?" She asked, tired.

Ryuuji opened the door and stepped in. "So…you're really going?"

"I have to." She sighed.

"I know…"

"Hey, I'm going away for a little while, not dying. I'll be back."

"You're not gonna forget us are you?"

"How could I? Especially you." She asked with a smile. "You were the only one that believed in me when I became the captain of this ship."

"I knew you were more capable than anyone else."

"Thank you Ryuuji. You're in charge while I'm gone." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now get out of my room you damn pirate."

He simply smirked and left her alone. Tasuki smiled and let herself drift off to sleep.

Momo growled at the scroll in front of her. What little she understood wasn't helpful and she couldn't read the rest. Suboshi and Amiboshi had gone to town and she wasn't about to ask anyone else, not wanting to explain why she was looking at all this. She swept the scroll away and started to unroll another on.

She was so engrossed in her scroll study that she failed to notice the faint sound of nails on the wooden floor. She did feel someone watching her. She looked up and came face to face with a large nose and blue eyes. She almost tumbled out of her chair. "Ashitare! Why do you like to scare me?" She repressed the urge to whack him in the nose.

Ashitare suddenly grabbed one of the scrolls from the table and held in triumphantly in his jaw.

"Hey you! Gimme that back!" She scrambled after the wolf. "Damn you and your four legs!" She was quickly losing the battle to him.

Ashitare, just to taunt her, would stop every so often and let her catch up, only to run off when she was within arms reach.

"Come on you!" She pleaded with him.

As Ashitare ran he turned back into his human form and took the scroll out of his mouth. "I hate the taste of paper…" He made a face.

"Give it back Ashitare! I was using that!" Momo dove at the scroll.

"What? Can't take a little joke? Let's see what the priestess has been reading up on." Holding the scroll out of her reach, he scanned it. "Care to tell me why you're looking at things about spirits who haven't been around for hundreds of years?"

Momo sighed. "Because Naraku's back…she's…she's up and around…"

Confusion and concern crossed Ashitare's face. "How would you know?"

"She's attacked me before…"

"What? And you haven't told anyone?"

"Suboshi knows…"

"Yeah and your little sweetheart is the best protection from someone like Naraku."

He almost continued when Momo cut him off. "What did you just call him!" Ashitare smirked and turned back into a wolf. He ran off leaving the scroll with her. "He's impossible!" She picked up the drool-covered scroll and grimaced. "Fantastic…" She walked back to her studying room.

'_What's wrong with him? Suboshi isn't my sweetheart or some crap like that! Well…there were those kisses…but no one has to know about those…'_ She tried to shake off the feeling she got whenever she thought about him. '_Shoot…so not cool…why am I falling in love?'_

Shen slowly woke up when he felt the gentle rocking of the ship. He blinked a few times and rolled over. His eyes widened when he came face to face with Piaoliang's sleeping form. She was dressed in a pair of Kohana's pajamas. He soon remembered she came in his room asking if she could sleep with him. The moving on the water didn't agree with her.

Shen smiled and smoothed down her hair. She opened up one eye. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing…" He smiled. "You were impressive yesterday."

"I didn't have much of an idea of what I was doing…"

"Still. You stood up to her."

"I was really scared."

He kissed her forehead. "You're braver than you give yourself credit for."

"I'll be glad when this is over…"

"We all will be…"

Piao nodded and crawled into his arms. He embraced her.

A few hours later, they were ready to head north. Kohana was with Hotohori, Piao with Shen, An Hua with Nuriko and Tamahome, Tasuki and Chichiri by themselves. After saying good-bye to the pirates, the group began riding north.

Plot question! Miboshi, Tomo, Mitsukake and Chiriko: guys or girls? I can't decide.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Shadow Hawk


	11. Goings and Comings

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 11: Goings and Comings**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

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"Suboshi…may I speak with you?" Nakago interrupted the twin seishi while they were talking.

"Ummm…sure." Suboshi got up and followed Nakago out of the room.

Momo caught a glimpse of them leaving as she entered. "Hey, where are they going?"

"Nakago wanted to talk to Suboshi." Amiboshi looked nervously at the door.

"What do you think it's about?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not gonna like it though."

Momo just watched the door. She felt a little uneasy. _'Hey girl, just calm down…must be seishi business or something…no big deal…'_

"Umm, Lady Momo?"

"Yeah?"

"You…um…look a little jealous…"

"Jealous? Of what?"

"I dunno. Nakago spending time with my brother? You just look kinda mad."

"Well…I'm not." She crossed her arms.

"You like him?"

"Who? Suboshi?"

"Yeah."

"No. Why would I?" She snapped.

"I know you weren't getting along back at the house but now…"

"Now what?"

"You two seem to be getting along better…"

"Well, if we're gonna be stuck in the same place might as well try not to get on each others nerves…" She blushed.

"My mistake then…" Amiboshi smiled.

"Shut up!" Momo muttered and left the room. 

Amiboshi couldn't help but laugh. He quickly sobered when Nakago and Suboshi came back in the room. Suboshi looked very uneasy. Nakago left through the same door she came through originally without saying anything. 

"Hey…what's wrong?"

"Where's Momo?"

"She just came by. My guess is she went back to her room. Why?"

"I umm…have to tell her something…"

"What?"

"Good bye…"

"What?!" Amiboshi grabbed his brother's arm.

"I have to go…" He twisted his arm out of his brother's grip.

"Suboshi…"

Suboshi left room and headed to Momo's room. "Momo?" He softly knocked.

"Yeah?"

"I umm…I came to say good bye…"

"Wha…what?" She got up quickly.

"Nakago is sending me to Konan…"

"What ?! Why?! No! She can't do that!" Momo shook her head.

"I'm supposed to pretend to be one of the Suzaku seishi…"

"You can't go! You could get hurt! Or killed!" She clung to him.

"Same thing here…" He shrugged.

"Suboshi…I…I don't want to be here if…" She lost her voice for a moment.

"If what?"

"If you're not here…" She looked up at him. 

"I'm not that big a deal, am I?" Suboshi knew he was blushing.

Momo felt her cheeks get warm. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard. His eyes widened before he kissed back. "Please don't go."

Suboshi nuzzled her neck. "I wish I had a choice. I don't think I can say no to Nakago."

"Dammit…" She held onto him tighter.

"I should get some stuff together and go…"

"Come back, okay?"

"I'll do my best…" Suboshi started to walk away.

"Suboshi wait!" 

"What?"

She pulled him back. "When you see Kohana, just tell her the truth…"

"What? Why?"

"She…she can help…"

"What makes you think that?"

"Kohana knows this world…she I dunno…understands this place. I'm begging you to tell her. And besides, she already knows who you are."

"You're right. She does…" Suboshi stroked her hair.

"I'm gonna miss you." Momo hugged him tightly.

"I'll miss you too." He blushed. Somewhere in his mind, he lost track of how he and Momo got so close. Yes, there had been the incident with Naraku, but ever since they left the twins' home, things hadn't been so rough between them. "But I do have to go."

"I know…" She reluctantly let go of the seishi and let him go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tasuki gritted her teeth as she pulled off an old bandage. "Gross…" She muttered and balled up the bloody cloth. 

"Is it looking any better?" Piao helped her wash the burn. 

"Not much. And it still stings like a bitch." She frowned.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Piao tugged a bandage around the older girl's leg.

"Ow! That's tight!" 

"Gotta keep the dirt out, right?"

"Didn't think a maid was that strong."

"I've grown used to bandaging all of Shen's wounds. He fought a lot as a kid."

"Oh, so you're childhood sweethearts."

"Yeah…" She smiled and blushed.

"Cute." Tasuki laughed. 

"Shut up." She got up. "Can you get up?"

"Yeah…" She pushed herself up off the ground. 

"Well, I hope we find that doctor soon." 

"Yeah." Tasuki went back to her horse. 

The group rode on rather quietly. Chichiri did her best to keep some peace between Tasuki and Tamahome. Piao nodded off in front of Shen. Kohana talked quietly with Hotohori.

Few people passed them on the road. Everyone mostly kept to themselves. A few hours later, the group stopped to rest again. Kohana excused herself to go spend some time alone. She sat in the shade of a very tall tree. Her eyes began to close as she nodded off when a twig snapping brought her back to attention.

"Who's there?!" She quickly got up. 

"It's just me." 

Kohana relaxed when she saw Tamahome. But she was still a little annoyed. "What are you doing over here? I wanted to be alone for a little while."

"I ummm…kinda wanted to talk."

"Oh…what about?"

"I ummm…I need to say something."

"Well…I'm listening." Kohana stood up.

He sighed slightly. _'Might as well get this over with…'_ "Kohana…I…"

"Come on. You can talk to me. I'm not gonna be nasty or anything."

Tamahome suddenly went down on one knee and took Kohana's hand. "Kohana, I love you, I have since we first met!"

Kohana's eyes widened. She backed up and stumbled over a fallen tree. "You…you what?!?"

"I love you." He took her hand again and tried to kiss her.

She pushed back the seishi. "Stop it Tamahome!  You know I love Hotohori!"

He looked taken aback. "You can't! I love you! You aren't supposed to love him!"

"Says who?!" She got up angrily and glared at him. 

"Says me! I'm the first person you met in Konan, Kohana! I have the right!"

"You're not making any sense! I'll love whoever I damn well please!"

He was getting angry. "The priestess is supposed to fall in love with me! It's what happened before!"

"I don't care what happened before! I'm not whoever the last priestess was! I can't help it if I love Hotohori!"

The faint sound of a tree branch breaking could be heard overhead, but it went unnoticed by the two on the ground.

"I will have you if it's the last thing I do. You'll see your mistake someday. I promise you that." He began to walk off.

She grabbed his arm and dug her nails into his arm. "Are you threatening me Tamahome?"

"I would never do that to you Kohana." He smiled sweetly and tried to kiss her again.

Kohana was ready to smack Tamahome when the tree snapping became a lot louder. The both heard some one yell "Oh shit!" and a man with rust colored hair fell out of the tree and on top of Tamahome. Both swore a few times. Kohana gaped in shock. The man couldn't have come at a better time, whoever he was. He closed his hazel eyes and groaned.

"Are you okay?" Kohana crouched next to him.

The man looked around. "Where's that other guy?"

"You…you're on him…" Kohana stifled a giggle.

"Why…so I am…" He quickly got up.

"Ummm…what were you doing up there?"

"I was looking for a special flower."

"Are you a doctor?" She looked hopeful.

"OW!" Tamahome stood up and brushed himself off. "Hey you! You just interrupted something very important."

The man cleared his throat. "Really? I never would have guessed."

"So are you a doctor or what?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you now. I have to help someone else."

"Well, are you gonna tell me if you're a doctor or not? I'd be happy with that."

Tamahome snorted. "We know one thing, he picks daisies."

"I am a doctor. My name in Jin Shing."

"I'm Kohana. Maybe when you're not to busy you could look at my friend's leg. She's hurt pretty badly."

"I'd be happy to later, but this can't wait. I have to find those flowers." He looked up at the tree. "Seems like climbing wasn't the way to go…" He rubbed his back.

"The ones in the tree? I bet I could reach 'em."

"Well yes, but I don't think that's a good idea…"

"I'm not going up there." Tamahome muttered.

"I'm a gymnast. I could get up there, no sweat." Kohana cracked her knuckles and easily bounded up the tree.

Jin Shing watched in amazement. "The flowers are growing at the top! The small blue ones!"

"Okay! How many you need?"

He counted quickly. "About ten!"

Kohana came down as quickly as she went up. She handed him the mass of flowers. "Here. I just grabbed a bunch. They smell pretty."

"Thank you very much miss! Would you like to come with me?"

Tamahome looked at Kohana. "Don't for get what I said, okay?"

"Whatever." Kohana rolled her eyes. "I'd love to come. But I should tell my other friends first. I don't want them to worry."

"They aren't far are they?"

"No, I'll be back in a flash." Kohana ran back to the others.

Jin Shing looked at Tamahome. "You seem to be the jealous type." 

"You heard what I said to her then?"

"Pretty hard to miss." He put the bunch of flowers into his shoulder bag. "You can't force her into anything."

"It's the way things should be."

"Things don't have to be any specific way. I know the stories about what happened between the priestess and her seishi 50 years ago and that's what you base your argument on. Things happened to be that way at that time. They won't happen like that every time."

"I should be the one to have Kohana." Tamahome glared at the man.

"Do you need me to fall on your head again? I'd be happy to." Jin Shing met Tamahome's glare easily.

Tamahome opened his mouth to retort when Kohana appeared with the other seishi. "I'm back!" 

"Well then…" Jin backed away from Tamahome and smiled. "Let's go back. I have work to do."

Kohana walked close to Hotohori while they followed Jin. He and Chichiri talked about Tasuki's wound. Hotohori looked down at Kohana. "Are you alright?"

"I'll tell you later." She looped her arm into his and held tight.

Hotohori took her hand. "Did Tamahome say something while you were off?" He looked concerned. 

"I said I'd tell you later." She insisted and pulled him along.

The walk back was short. Jin's village was small, but nice. He led them to what looked like the biggest house in it. There were many beds along the wall and cabinets lined with hundreds of jars. In a separate room, a young boy lay on a bed. He was pale and in the middle of a coughing fit. The boy's mother got up immediately when she heard someone come in. 

"Jin! You're back! Thank the gods! He's getting worse. What took so long?" She was obviously panicked.

"Ma'am, I told you, the flowers for the medicine were difficult to get. I do have them though. If you'll give me a moment, I'll prepare Bo's medicine." He smiled gently and got her to sit down while he gathered a few jars. 

Kohana watched him, intrigued by how advanced his practice of medicine was. He reminded her of the doctor her sister used to take her too. He mixed up something in a bowl and took it to the boy. 

"Bo, can you wake up for a minute?" He sat on the edge of the boy's bed.

"Hi Jin…" The boy smiled weakly.

"Hey kid. How're you holding up?" He handed the bowl to him. "Drink up."

He sat up. "I'm fine. Ma thinks I'm getting sicker…" Bo drank the contents of the bowl. He made a face. "Tastes gross." He stuck out his tongue.

"Best medicine always does." Jin smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. Color was already starting to come back to his face.

"Can I got out and play?"

"Let the medicine work will you?" Jin chuckled. "You can play as much as you want tomorrow."

"Thanks Jin!" Bo smiled.

"Sure, Bo. Now, I got someone else to check. Will you and your mother be okay?"

"Uh huh!"

Jin nodded and went back out into the main room. While he washed his hands he looked over his shoulder. An Hua wandered into the other room. She decided she was going to keep Bo company. "So which one of you is the injured one?"

"That would be me." Tasuki was sitting on one of the beds.

Jin walked over to her and pulled the bandage off. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the burn. "What the hell have you been doing?" 

"Playing with fire?" Tasuki grinned.

"Fantastic." Jin rolled his eyes. "I don't understand how you got a burn that bad, but I'll make something up for it." He got up and went to his wall of jars. He picked up a few. Jin tossed one of them to her. "Drink this while I mix something up."

Tasuki opened the bottle and sniffed it. "It smells like booze."

"It is." Jin leaned against the wall while he mixed up what was looking like a thick paste.

"Why?" She drank the contents of the jar. "Woah…that's some powerful shit."

Jin smeared the paste on a bandage. "Because this is really gonna hurt." Indeed, she hissed in pain when he put the bandage on. "Sorry it's so painful, but it will help heal it faster."

"Thanks…I think…" Tasuki cringed. "Ow…" Jin smirked.

"Jin! Get out here! The boar's back!" A young woman screamed as she nearly fell through the door.

The smirk disappeared from his face as if it had never been there. "What?!"

"It's back in the village! You've gotta help them!" She fell to the floor and cried.

Jin wasted no time in disappearing from the house. 

"What's going on?" Shen helped the young woman onto a bed.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "For a few weeks now…a large wild boar has been breaking into the village and causing chaos. It's wounded most of our strongest men. It's strength is…unnatural…demonic…" She shook her head. "Jin does what he can…but his powers can't hold out that long…."

"Powers?"

"Jin's not just a doctor. He's a healer." She murmured quietly.

Everyone looked at each other in a moment of silence. The men nodded and they along with Chichiri ran out the door. Tasuki groaned and flopped back on the bed. "Dammit! A good fight and I'm out of it!"

"A…are you insane?! And where did your friends go?"

"To help. Nuriko and Tamahome are really strong. Chichiri's a really powerful mage." Piao smiled. "Tasuki could fight, but she's out of it."

"Shut up!" The blue hair seishi pouted.

"Nuriko…Tamahome…Chichiri and Tasuki?" She looked them over. "Who are you people?"

"Five of us are seishi, two are palace employees and one is the priestess." Kohana smiled.

"Then…you came here looking for Mitsukake." She looked thoughtful.

"He's here?"

"Yeah. Jin is him."

"Cool! Then just one more!" Tasuki laughed, a little drunk. The other girls stared at her as Tasuki continued to laugh for no apparent reason. An Hua and Bo poked their heads out of the room they were in.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

Hime meowed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You people! Always getting into my business!" Naraku stood next to the demonic wild boar. Its eyes glowed red as it got ready to attack again. There was a long bloody gash down its left side courtesy of Hotohori's sword. "Leave my pet alone and let it have some fun!" 

It charged at two of the villages. "Like hell, demon!" Nuriko and Tamahome intercepted the beast and wrestled it to the ground. They heard a definite snap, no doubt one of the demon boar's legs. It let out an unearthly cry of some kind. Everyone cringed. It ran away from them as best it could.

"Always the do-gooder, aren't you boys?" Naraku flung a ball of black energy at them.

Chichiri jumped in front of them holding up a shield. It exploded, but didn't harm the three within the reddish bubble. "Was that it, demon bitch?"

"I'll just let my pet deal with you." Naraku fumed and disappeared. 

Jin watched them fight. _'Dammit…just who are these people?'_ He was crouched over one of the already injured. He told two nearby people to take the injured man back to his house and get him into bed. 

Shen dove away from the oncoming beast. _'It's now or never…'_ He felt a tingle in his sword arm as he flung the blade into the creature's side. It went up onto its back legs and trashed around a little before crashing to the ground. He wasn't sure if anyone else could see it, but Shen was sure he saw the blade of his sword softly glowing. _'I…I just cast a spell…didn't I?'_

Jin watched the boar twitch a few times, then cease to move. He was now bent over a man that had been gored in the side. He held out his left hand. A symbol began to glow as the man's fatal wounds closed up. 

"You…you're Mitsukake aren't you?" Hotohori wiped his sword clean and sheathed it.

"Yeah. What of it?" He helped the man up.

"We're looking for the Suzaku seishi."

"Who are you?"

"The most of the other seishi. Tasuki's back at your house with the priestess."

"Who's the priestess?"

"Kohana."

"Oh…you know…there's a few more wounded people I have to bandage. Why don't we go back to my house and we'll talk?"

Back at the house, the young woman from before already bandaged up the men that had come in.

"You didn't waste much time, did you Lien?" Mitsukake smiled.

"Well, I wasn't sure when you were coming back. Is the boar gone?"

"Dead. They killed it. Turned out to be some demon creature."

"Wow. So…will you be heading out with them?" She smiled when he looked a little surprised. "What? We carried on some conversation here."

"I'm not sure I should leave the village though…"

"Jin, go. You have to. I'm a good enough doctor to care for these people and now that we don't have to worry about the boar, we don't need a healer at all times." She smiled at him. "Everyone knew this day was coming. Just come back soon."

"Well…I suppose I should go…" He sighed.

"I'll help you pack." Lien smiled and walked with Mitsukake.

Kohana leaned against the window and idly stared, half thinking about what Tamahome said, half trying to forget it.

"Kohana?" Hotohori put his hand on her shoulder. 

She jerked a little. "Oh! Hotohori…it's you."

"Are you alright?"

"I dunno."

"What happened with Tamahome?"

She looked around to see if he was around. Luckily, most of the men had gone to help rebuild what the boar had destroyed during its most recent attack. "He…he told me he loved me and tried to kiss me…" She looked up at him. "When I pushed him away and told him I love you, he well…he freaked out."

"Did he try to hurt you?"

"No…but I think he threatened me. He said he'd have me someday and that I'd see my mistake. He said because he met me first, he has some right to have me."

Hotohori frowned. "I didn't think Tamahome was like that…"

"What, insane? Me either." Kohana muttered. "He tried to kiss me again and that was when Mitsukake fell out of the tree on top of him. I know it was an accident, but it couldn't have come at a better time." She leaned on Hotohori.

He wrapped his arm around her. "I won't let him hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. I'm worried he'll go after you." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd kill him myself if he tried to hurt you…"

"Kohana…" He held her close. "I pray that that day never comes. Everything will be alright." He kissed her softly. She returned his kiss.

Tamahome watched the couple with growing jealousy. _'That should be me…'_

"Tamahome…let it go…" Nuriko spoke harshly as he replaced a support beam for a house.

"But I should be…"

"If things were the way they were 50 year ago, you wouldn't even be here." Shen cut him off. "You'd be brainwashed in the Kutou palace, serving the priestess of Seiryuu. Why do you seem to think things will go like they did before?"

"If you love her like you seem to think you do, let her be with Hotohori." Up until now, Nuriko and Tamahome had been good friends, but he was even closer to Kohana and Hotohori. He wasn't going to let Tamahome ruin everything between them.

Tamahome said nothing and left to go work on a different part of town. Nuriko and Shen looked at each other. Neither one liked the way Tamahome was acting and wondered if he would act on his growing rage. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tamahome's a bastard! Told ya it wouldn't be Tama-friendly. You were warned.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	12. Twin Talk

Disclaimer: Kohana, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. I suppose that's it.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 12: Twin Talk**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~Conversations between twins~ 

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Suboshi slowly opened his eyes. He tossed and turned a bit. _'Man…I'm homesick…I think…I hate this…Momo…'_ He sat up quickly. _'Dammit to hell! I need to stop thinking about her…it's not making anything better.'_ He sighed and began pacing. 

After a moment he felt his arm tingle. He pulled up his sleeve and looked.

~Suboshi…you there?~

He looked at his arm. ~Well duh…not like I can detach my arm…~

~Sorry. How are you?~

~Been better…I think I'm homesick…~

~Poor you.~

~Shut up.~

~Technically I'm not talking.~

~You're being a smart ass…~

~I know. So…any sign of the Suzaku seishi?~

~No…not that I really want to see them…~

~Why? …Wait…that's a stupid question isn't it?~

~Ya think? …How's Momo?~

~She doesn't like the fact that you're gone, but she seems okay. You miss her?~

~More than I care to admit.~

~Thought so.~

~Quit acting like some all knowing being. It's not helping.~

~I know. But it's fun to bug you.~

~Good night Aniki.~

~Good night.~

Suboshi pulled his sleeve back down. He rested his head against the window frame. How many more days until the Suzaku seishi showed up?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana leaned her head on the edge of the giant bath. Tasuki, Chichiri and Piao were at the other end of the bath. She hated to admit just how out of place she was. She shifted in the water and sighed. She'd ridden a few horses before, but never as long as she had recently. 

A soft meow grabbed her attention. She looked to her left and saw Hime next to her. She reached out of the water and scratched her on the head. She purred softly. More than once, Kohana had wondered if there was something more to the cat. She had been one of Tai Itsukun's pets. Hime also had an unbelievable knack for getting her in trouble. 

"Kohana ne-chan, you okay?" An Hua swam over to her. She looked concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Don't look fine." She retorted.

"It's nothing really. I feel a little out of place."

"Why?"

"This isn't where I grew up. I don't have anyone else to talk about my world with. Well…the only other person I could isn't around."

"Who's that?"

"My…" She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say next. "Friend…Momo. The priestess of Seiryuu." She liked calling Momo her friend, even if it might not be completely true.

An Hua made a face. "Isn't she supposed to be like an enemy or something?"

"No one is supposed to be an enemy. We could be friends with them if we tried hard enough." _'Maybe…'_

"Oh." An Hua seemed mostly satisfied with that answer and smiled. "Okay."

After washing up, the girls redressed and went to find the guys. Hotohori and Kohana went out for food while everyone stayed in.

Kohana looked around at some of the shops. She wasn't used to small stalls like this. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she bumped into someone. He wore a cloak that shielded his face. He mumbled an apology.

She smiled. "It's okay. I wasn't watching." She walked away from her.

Hotohori looked at the young man. "Kohana, check your purse…he looks suspicious…"

She opened her bag. "No…everything's here…"

Suddenly, a man went running past Kohana. He grabbed her purse and pushed her over. "Thanks a bunch lady!" He laughed and ran.

Kohana stumbled into Hotohori. She hissed. "HEY YOU BASTARD!" Kohana was furious. She ran off after the man. Hotohori went after her.

The cloaked young man looked up as he walked. He stepped in the path of the robber. The older man sneered and shoved him. "Outta the way runt!"

Kohana continued to yell at him from a dozen or so meters behind.

The young man raised his hand. The Ryuuseisui flew from out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his legs, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Hey! What the hell is this?!" He growled.

"Are you going to give her back her money?"

"Make me!" He sneered as he wrestled with the strings.

The cloaked man moved his hand again and the Ryuuseisui began to dig into the man. He screamed. "Okay! I'll give it back!"

The Ryuuseisui distanced themselves from the man but continued to spin nearby. "Thought so…" He looked up at Kohana who was running up now. "He's ready to give up."

"Thanks." Kohana grabbed her purse.

"Why you little!" The man suddenly got up and slashed at the cloaked man. He reacted quickly and grabbed the robber's hand. He twisted his wrist. The man yelped in pain and let go of the knife.

"Leave unless you want to lose something important." He hissed.

He ran quickly. "Freaks!"

Kohana saw a cut in his shirt. "You okay?"

He winced. "Damn…that knife was sharp…"

"We have a friend who's a healer. He could look at that."

"You're too kind…miss…umm…"

"I'm Kohana, this is Hotohori."

He sucked in a breath trying to ignore the pain. "My name is…" He thought for a panicked moment. "Shunkaku…"

"Nice to meet you. Thanks for getting my purse. How'd you do that?"

He made the Ryuuseisui come back. He shrugged. "I've always been able to do it. Guess I am a freak, huh?"

Hotohori shook his head. "You're not a freak. Everyone has certain abilities. Come with us. You should get checked out." The young man nodded and followed them to the in.

Mitsukake looked at the boy. "You'll have to take off your shirt. for me to look at this."

He shifted nervously, but complied. He untied the cloak, then took off his shirt.

Mitsukake began to look him over. "Now where does it…" He trailed off. "Kohana, Hotohori! Everyone, come in here!" Everyone filed into the room.

"What is it?" Kohana was first. 

"This better be important. I was taking a damn nap. I'm tired!"

The boy sitting on the bed looked nervous.

"Look." Mitsukake pointed to Shunkaku's collarbone.

"Ummm…I can explain that…ummm…why are you all staring at me?" He blushed.

"I'll be damned. It is important." Tasuki was less annoyed now.

"Chiriko?" Kohana asked.

"So what if I am?"

Mitsukake noticed a large bandage on his left shoulder. "What happened here?"

Chiriko backed away. "That's nothing! Just a bruise from a while ago!"

"Well, we could just change the bandage…"

"No! Really! I just changed it a little while ago!"

Mitsukake gave him an odd look. "Fine…" He hated disagreeable patients.

Kohana studied Chiriko's face. _'Wait…where have I seen him before? Very familiar…'_ She couldn't quiet remember why he looked so familiar. _'Maybe it will come later…'_

"Does this mean we can go back to the palace?" Chichiri asked.

"P-palace? Who are you guys anyway?" Chiriko looked confused.

"We're the Suzaku seishi, duh!" Tasuki gave him a playful whack on the head. "You're one of us, right?"

"Ummm…I guess so…" Chiriko lowered his head, causing himself pain. "Ow…"

Mitsukake smiled. "Let's get you healed now.

Kohana gave him one last look before leaving the room. _'Seishi…seishi…Suzaku…Seiryuu…Suboshi! That's Suboshi! Now I remember!'_

"Something wrong Kohana?" Hotohori put his hand on her shoulder.

"N…no…I was just thinking about having all the seishi…about the summoning…"

He smiled. "It is perfect timing. We were almost going to give up searching here."

Chiriko came out of the room with another shirt on. "So…where do we go from here, Miss uh…Priestess?"

"Umm…I guess back to the palace."

Chiriko appeared to space out for a moment. Suddenly Nuriko slapped him on the back. "Glad to meet you!"

"Ow!" Chiriko hit the floor.

"Sorry!"

He picked himself up. I've already been healed once for today…"

"I said sorry." He grinned. "Don't know my own strength."

Chiriko sighed. "It's okay." He felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down and saw An Hua.

"Your clothes are frumpy." She giggled.

Chiriko rolled his eyes. "Thanks for pointing that out."

"She's right. We can't take ya to a palace lookin' like that!" Tasuki nudged Chichiri. "Right?"

Chichiri looked at Tasuki. "Are you suggesting I use my magic to make him look more acceptable?"

"No…but that's an even better idea!" She grinned.

"Ummm…what do you mean, 'magic'?" Chiriko was a little nervous.

Chichiri folded her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not wasting my energy on making clothes.

"I guess that means only one thing then." Tasuki smiled and went to Tamahome's bed. She quickly found a pouch of money. "While the cat's away…" She grinned.

"That's kinda mean…" Piao murmured quietly.

"Well, Chichiri's too damn weak to do it and the guys won't mind if we just BORROW some money…"

"I am NOT weak! It's a waste of energy!" Chichiri whacked the younger woman with her staff.

"OW!" Tasuki rubbed her head. "You're just covering up! You're too weak!"

Chiriko looked at them. _'I'm gonna die…'_

Chichiri was fuming mad. "If you want clothes so bad, why don't _you_ use _your _magic? Hmmm?"

"I don't have that! Face it! You're weak!"

"I'll show you weak!" Chichiri cast a quick spell and changed Chiriko's outfit. She paused for a moment. She realized by the smirk on Tasuki's face that she had just been tricked. "I hate you…"

Tasuki pocketed Tamahome's money. "Don't hate, hon, just keep up." She kept on grinning.

"Ummm…shouldn't you give that money back?" Chiriko asked quietly.

"Aw, Tamahome doesn't have to know the clothes came from magic. Besides, I could use some more spending money." She waved off his concern.

Chiriko looked at Shen. He just smiled and shrugged. Chiriko kept quiet. He had a lot to learn about these people. He wondered just how long he'd be able to keep up his façade. By the way Kohana had been looking at him, he figured she already knew he was Suboshi and not Chiriko.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana groaned and looked up at the tent roof. It was the last night they'd be spending in tents and bedrolls. They'd be spending one more night outside then Chichiri would take them back to the capital. Tamahome never did find out exactly where his money went. 

Giving up on sleep for the moment, Kohana got up and went to the fire. Chiriko was sitting near it, keeping watch.

"Hey, mind if I sit here for a while?"

He looked up at her. "N…no…go ahead." 

They sat in silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound. Kohana poked at fire with a stick for a few moments. She looked over at Chiriko. "Hey, Chiriko?"

He was to busy looking into fire to notice her talking to him. He'd been thinking about Momo for a while. She called him again when he realized she was talking to him. "Yeah?" He barely looked up.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

He blushed and looked up at the stars. "Nothing. Shouldn't you be in bed or something?"

"I'm not really tired. You…you're thinking about Momo aren't you?" She smiled.

"Well…" He paused for a moment. "Wait…you know?

"Well, it's not like I'd forget my little trip into Momo's head. You're Suboshi, right? It took me a while to recognize you."

He let out a small snort. "She was right then…"

"Who was right about what? Has Momo been saying bad things about me?"

"No…she just…she told me to tell you the truth. She said you'd understand or something."

She gave the fire a few more fierce pokes. "I wish I didn't know so much…"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

"It…it's hard knowing so much…after everything I've been trough…"

He idly played with Ryuuseisui's tassels, not really responding.

"You know it's funny…"

"What?"

"I've been here a while and yet…I still haven't told anyone why I know what I do about this world…I'm surprised no one's straight out asked me…" She looked up at the sky.

Suboshi looked straight at her. "Why _do_ you know so much about his world?"

She smiled. "I asked for that didn't I? Well…" Though it took a while, she told him the story of finding book and having two ex-seishi for older brothers.

He gave her a questioning look. "A-Amiboshi? B-but…He's in Kutou…"

"He's not your Amiboshi…boy, that sounded wrong didn't it? Anyway, as near as I can figure, my older brother Amiboshi is the one that existed around 50 years ago."

He shifted nervously, obviously disturbed by the story. "Oh…" He put more wood on the fire and watched the flames grow again.

"Yeah…it is weird…" She poked fire again. "Best not to think about it for very long…"

"I hope they're okay…"

"Umm…maybe this is a dumb question, but who do you hope is okay?"

He folded his arms and snorted. "You ask too much."

She wrinkled her nose. "Hey, I could wake up the others and tell them who you are. Are you thinking about Momo again?"

"Don't do that, okay? I'm sorry." He blushed and looked away. "She's my priestess…and my friend."

She smiled. "That's nice…" She looked at the sky again. "So…how has she been?"

He smiled to himself as he remembered what happened between them before he left. "Momo's fine."

Kohana grinned at him. "Sweet memories of Momo?"

He blushed and looked away. "What?! No!"

"It's okay to be in love with her. I'm in love with Hotohori."

"I…I'm not in love with her! She…she's just a good friend, okay?"

"Fine. I'll let you stick to that. For now anyway."

He was getting flustered. "Are you threatening me?"

"No…I guess you're just not ready to admit you're in love with her. Hey Suboshi?"

"I'm not in love, okay?" He sighed. "Yeah?"

She was silent for a moment. "Did…did Momo come out of Naraku's mind game okay? Is she really okay? I've been worried about her."

"Yeah…" He unconsciously brushed his lips.

She looked at the ground to hide a grin. "That…that's good to know."

"I have a question. What's wrong with that Tamahome guy? Is he mental or something?"

She forced a small laugh. "It's possible. Wouldn't surprise me…he…he's jealous…"

Suboshi paused. "Of what?"

"He's in love with me…and I…well…I can't stand him. I'm in love with Hotohori and he won't accept it."

He gazed into the crackling flames. "How can you tell? I mean…about Hotohori?"

"How can I tell I'm in love with him?"

He coughed a bit. "Uh…yeah…"

"Well…" She smiled thoughtfully. "It's the way he makes me feel…" She laughed softly. "I'm not sure I can even describe it…"

He looked sad for a moment. "I guess you just bluntly told him, huh?" A sudden smirk hid his previous emotions.

She blushed. "Well…it wasn't that blunt…" Her blush deepened as she recalled being in Tai Itsukun's palace with him.

"You won't tell anyone about any of this right?"

"As long and you don't. Tell me something though…"

"Ummm…Okay…"

"Do you think…that maybe…just once…the Suzaku and Seiryuu seishi should work together…to fight Naraku?"

"Aniki always says stuff like that…he hates violence you know…" He took a moment to think it over. "I don't think it could happen, but it would be nice…"

"I don't wanna fight. I don't wanna see anyone get hurt…"

"Me neither." Something occurred to him. "Hey, if I go back maybe I could convince them to join sides with you."

"It would be nice…but I don't think my seishi would be any more willing than your side. And Nakago seems like a stubborn guy…"

Suboshi chuckled. "Nakago's a woman."

Kohana's eyes widened. "What? Oh! Well, I didn't expect that…"

"I don't know why, but I have a feeling Nakago know about Momo and me…" Kohana started giggling. He raised an eyebrow again. "Is something wrong?"

She momentarily stifled her giggles. "You just said you think Nakago knows about you and Momo…you just admitted more than I'm guessing you wanted to."

His cheeks went crimson. "Sh…shut up!"

"You said it, not me!"

_'Why does she insist that I'm in love with…with Momo? …Well…it's not like I don't like her…I…shit…I do love her…'  _"Knock it off already! I just meant the she thought me might threaten her plans or something!" _'Yeah…that sounded really convincing…'_ He didn't even try to believe his own spoken words.

She smiled, still giggling. "Fine, fine. I'm going to sleep. Good night Suboshi."

"I'm Chiriko, remember? He smiled slightly. "Good night."

"'Night Chiriko." Suboshi watched her disappear into her tent. He stared at the fire a few more minutes then went back to the tents to wake up someone else for night watch.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few days had passed since the group came back to the palace. In private, Kohana called Suboshi Chiriko, but she was very good about calling him Chiriko around the others. 

One thing Suboshi had come to hate more than anything though, was night. He always paced around his room. He couldn't sleep to save his life. He desperately wanted to tell the other seishi who he was, but the opportunity never truly presented itself. But alone at night, he had too much time to think about it. He lay back down on the bed in hopes sleep would find him.

A twinge on his arm startled him. ~Subo…still awake?~

He sat up quickly and lit a small lamp. ~Aniki? Seiryuu, I miss you guys…~

~I know…feels weird without you…~

~So umm…how is…our priestess?~

~She's been really quiet lately. She misses you terribly…~

~Really?~

~You know she cares about you. She didn't want you to leave. She told me.~

~She did?~

~Yes she did, Mr. Self-Confidence…oh wait…She's here. She wants to talk to you.~

~Okay! I mean…ummm…okay.~

~She's laughing…~

~…Shut up…~ Suboshi cringed.

Momo's handwriting slowly appeared on Suboshi's arm. ~Suboshi?~

~Momo? Are you alright?~

~Yeah…I'm just…it's a little lonely without you…~

~Same here. Your friend is nice. And you were right about her.~

~Thought so…I wish I could see her too…~

~She fell in love with Hotohori.~

~I hope they're happy together.~

~Believe me, they are.~

~Su…Suboshi?~ He saw that the characters on his arm were getting a bit messy, as if her hand had become unsteady.

~What's wrong? Are you okay?~

~I…well…I need to say something…~

~Oh…okay then…~

~I…I love you…I hope you don't mind…~

His heart skipped a few beats. He read it again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. ~You…do?!~

~Yeah…I wanted to tell you in case I don't get to see you again.~ The writing stopped for a moment. ~Maybe I shouldn't have said that…~

~I think I love you too…and I don't mind.~ For the first time all day, Suboshi smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amiboshi looked at Momo then his arm. _'I knew it…'_

One tear fell from Momo's eye onto Ami's arm next to Suboshi's words. ~I miss you…~

~Seiryuu…I wish I was back there…with you…~

Amiboshi hated to ruin the moment. He touched her arm "You'd better hurry up. If Nakago catches you out off bed…"

She looked at him. "Okay…You're right…Ummm…thanks for letting me talk to him." ~I have to go…Nakago might come back…~

~Wait for me okay? I'll be back as soon as I can…Good night Momo.~

~Good night Suboshi…~

Momo quickly got up and left the room. Amiboshi looked at his arm and smiled. ~You know I'm going to have to go around with 'I love you's on my arm for a week.~

~Thanks bro.~

~You're welcome. I knew there was something between you two.~

~I hope this is all over soon. Shit if this keeps up…~

~Fantastic. Now I'm going to have swears on my arm too.~

Amiboshi could almost feel his brother smirking. ~Shit shit shit! Dammit dammit dammit!~

He rolled his eyes. ~Thanks a lot! Good night Suboshi.~

~Aniki?~

~Yeah?~

~Can you keep a strong watch on Momo while I'm gone?~

~Of course I'll watch her.~

~Thanks Aniki. Good night.~

~Night.~

Momo walked quietly down the hall, hoping not to disturb anyone. More than once she'd accidentally woken up Ashitare if she wasn't careful. Though she was still smiling. Her smiled disappeared when she saw Nakago.

Nakago eyed the young priestess. "Why aren't you asleep Lady Momo?"

"I…I wanted to take a night walk…"

"You need to be careful…who knows _what_ might happen here…"

Momo swallowed. "Yeah…I'll be careful. But it's not like I'm completely defenseless." She continued on past the older woman.

"Don't let your emotions get the better of you, my lady."

Momo turned and looked at her. "Don't let yours disappear."

Nakago snorted and walked away. _'Bitch…'_

She opened the door to her room. She glanced at herself in mirror and started to take off her armor. "What does she know?" She growled.

She whipped a pillow at the mirror and watched it fall to the floor, shattering. "What the hell does she know?!" She hissed through her teeth.

Soi was casually walking down the hall when he heard the mirror shatter. He looked into the room. "Nakago?"

She wiped away a tear before it could fall. "What?" She glared at him

He gave her a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "Don't ask me questions Soi. Just…go back to where ever you came from!"

He walked in her room. "You're not a particularly good actress…"

Her cheeks turned the slightest bit pink. "Can you just leave? I'm…fine, okay?!"

"You are not fine. What happened?"

Nakago turned away from Soi. Words tumbled unwanted from her mouth. "She…I told her not to let her feeling get the better of her…" An unwanted tear rolled down her cheek. She suddenly despised herself for the display. "She said…that I shouldn't let mine…what a bitch…" She sat on her bed.

He sat with her. "What did Momo say?" He didn't need Nakago to say the name to tell him who she was talking about. Momo and Nakago couldn't get along if their lives depended on it.

"She said I shouldn't let mine d-disappear…" She looked at the ground. "Why am I even telling you?"

"You can't hold everything in." He put hand on her shoulder.

She flinched at the touch. "I don't need your sympathy, Soi." Her words came out harsh, maybe harsher than they should have.

"I didn't mean it like that…"

She looked confused. "What?"

"Seishi look out for each other, don't they? You looked like you could use a friend."

"Well…you did your job…" She began to rub her eyes.

He pulled her hand away and wipes away other tears with his thumb. "Don't rub."

"Wh-why not?" His boldness was surprising. But it made her a little uncomfortable.

He let go of her hand. "Makes your eyes red and puffy. Wouldn't want people to think you'd been crying in the morning."

She looked away. "Yeah…Momo would love that."

"Don't think about Momo." He quickly kissed her on the cheek. "Good night Nakago." He left the room before she could respond.

She sat on the edge of her bed, stunned. "Good night." She carefully touched her cheek. She sat there for a few moments. "Damn emotions…" She suddenly muttered as she got up to clean up the glass. 

"Who needs them?" She picked up some of the larger glass, muttering a few choice things when she cut her finger. 

"Emotions are for the rest of the world…" She watched blood ooze from the cut. 

"Emotions are for people who have others that care for them…" She scowled and stuck her finger in her mouth. The bleeding stopped after a moment and she slid into bed. Just like all other nights, she drifted into a deep dreamless sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kohana…Kohana, are you okay?" Piaoliang's voice startled Kohana from her daydreams.

She quickly looked up to see Piaoliang and Shen looking at her. "Huh? Yeah. I'm okay."

"You don't seem fine…" Shen looked down at her.

"Well…I am…"

"Everyone's a little worried about you. You've been really quiet since we came back to the palace. You barely talk to anyone but Hotohori and Chiriko." Piao sat in the grass with her.

"I know…I just…I guess I'm just thinking about the summoning…all the seishi are here now…"

"So shouldn't you be a little happier then? You can get your wishes granted or whatever."

"I know…but then there's Naraku…you two seem to be the only ones that can fight her…"

"Isn't that a better reason for the summoning to happen sooner than later?" Shen continued standing, looking out over the gardens. "If we got into a big battle, you'd be safer in your world."

"Well…sorta…I guess…but…I'd feel bad if all I could do was watch from my world." Kohana sighed and looked towards the Eastern sky. "And then there's Momo…"

"Momo…the priestess of Seiryuu, right? Why are you worried about her?" 

"Be…because…when I was back in my world…I read part of the book…Momo got a attacked by Naraku too."

"She did?" Shen asked.

"Yeah…one of her seishi saved her…"

"So…Naraku doesn't have a preference as to who she goes after…"

"No…we're all gonna have to fight her."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend…" He murmured quietly. "Maybe it's time to stop fighting with them and we all fought her together…"

"Yeah. There's no sense in fighting a war on two fronts when we could join forces against one." 

Shen looked down at Piao. "You sound like me. That's a little scary."

"What? I can't be with you as much as I am and _not_ pick up something." She giggled.

Kohana smiled at the couple. "Sounds like someone wants couple time." She got up. "I'll talk to you later." Kohana went back to the main area of the palace.

"Think she'll be okay?"

"Probably." Shen sat down with his fiancé. "She does have a lot to think about."

"Working with the Seiryuu seishi…I wonder if it's possible…" She leaned on him.

"I'd like to think anything is possible." He wrapped his arm around her. "Anything good at least."

"I suppose that's a good way to look at it."

He shrugged. "Good as any other." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Damn school work…so tired…Well, on the up side I have a 3 day week end before mid terms and another one after, so maybe I'll recuperate then.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	13. Betrayal of the Heart

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 13: Betrayal of the Heart**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

Memories 

~Conversations between twins~ 

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Momo stared at the two people in front of her. A young man and woman, both around her age, stood in front of her. Nakago introduced the gray-eyed man as Tomo and the violet-eyed girl as Miboshi. She greeted them politely then excused herself.

Miboshi followed her while Tomo talked with Amiboshi and Soi. She went to Momo's bedroom. "Lady Momo, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Her reply came muffled, as if she was either mumbling or had her face covered by something.

"You don't really seem fine…"

"It's nothing you could help with…" She sighed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I just miss someone…that's all…"

"In your world?"

"No…here…" Momo opened her door. "Please…could you go? I'd like to be alone." She looked tired.

"My lady, it's our duty as your seishi to see to it that you're happy." She pushed a lock of forest green hair behind her ear.

"Well, nothing can be done about it until Suboshi is back here." She huffed and closed the door again.

Miboshi blinked. _'Wow…she really misses him…I wonder if I should tell her about Nakago's plans…'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana knocked on Suboshi's door. "Chiriko, you there?" She waited a few moments. "Chiriko?" 

"Chiriko's in town." Tasuki and Chichiri were coming down the hall. "What's up?"

"Nothing…" 

"You know, I'm beginning to wonder why you spend so much time with him." Chichiri looked her over. "You're not going to hurt his highness, are you?"

"No! There's nothing between me and Chiriko." She blushed.

"Then why are you spending so much time with him?" Tasuki raised an eye brow.

"Because she's been helping me make a decision." Suboshi suddenly appeared around a corner. 

All three girls jumped. "She has?"

"I have?"

"Yeah…can you get the other seishi and meet me in the throne room?"

Kohana raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

A few minutes later, the seishi were all in the throne room. No one except for Kohana and Suboshi understood why they were there. He stood nervously in front of the Suzaku seishi.

"So what is it Chiriko?" Hotohori looked at him.

"I…I have to admit something…" He reached under his shirt and pulled off the bandages that covered his true seishi symbol. "I…I'm not Chiriko…"

Suddenly everyone's hands were at their weapons. "Then who are you?"

Suboshi reached under his shirt and pulled the bandages off his shoulder. A blue symbol glowed softly. "My name is Suboshi…I'm Seiryuu…"

Everyone froze. Tamahome was the first to react…badly. He lunged at Suboshi. "You little scum bag!" 

"Tamahome, don't!" Kohana tried to hold Tamahome back. "Don't hurt him!"

He growled. "Why not? You on their side?" He glared at her and pushed her backwards.

"It's not that! But I'm not letting you hurt someone who hasn't done anything!" She stumbled backwards. 

"Not done anything?! How can you say that?!"

"Because he hasn't! Tamahome stop it!" Hotohori put his sword in between Tamahome and Suboshi. "He wouldn't be telling us the truth if he meant any harm."

"How do we even know he's telling the truth? If he lied before…" Tamahome glared at him.

"I don't care if you don't believe me." Suboshi sighed.

Chichiri crossed her arms and looked him over. "I believe you are who you're telling us you are, but I don't understand why you're admitting who you are."

"I didn't come out here and lie to you of my own accord. Nakago sent me out here to mess up your summoning…but I don't want to…" He sighed. "You can do whatever you want with me. It doesn't matter…the only thing I'll regret is not seeing Momo again…"

"Could you be any more negative?" Tasuki rolled her eyes. "There's gotta be some good points to this."

"There are?" The other seishi looked at her.

"Well yeah. I mean think about it. We have Suboshi and Nakago doesn't know we know Suboshi. We have something over Nakago."

"Come up with that on your own?" Tamahome sneered.

Tasuki glared at him. "You're really askin' for it today, ya know that?"

"Oh am I?"

"Yeah, ya are." Tasuki pulled the tessen out. "Rekka Shin'en!" 

The other seishi winced when Tamahome was engulfed in flames. He coughed up some smoke and glared at her. Then he stormed out of the room. Suboshi gave her an odd look. "I just don't get you people…"

"Probably never will…" Shen shrugged.

"Kohana…" Mitsukake started.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe I'm assuming too much…but you knew Suboshi wasn't Chiriko, didn't you?"

"Yeah…I did…" She shifted nervously.

"How could you know? You can't see the future, can you?"

"No…nothing like that…I well…you know how I told you that to get here from my world to here, I came through a book?" The nodded. "Well…when I was little, my older sister read the story to me…it was the story of the priestesses from like 50 years ago or whatever and Amiboshi was the one who impersonated Chiriko back then…I thought it might happen again so when Suboshi showed up, I figured I'd ask."

"You just asked?" Piao asked incredulously. She looked at Suboshi. "For real?"

He nodded. "Neither one of us could sleep one night and we were just talking."

"You found out this and you didn't say anything?" Piao arched an eyebrow.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, this is Suboshi, one of the Seiryuu seishi; he's been lying to us?' Nakago has spies everywhere. She would have known and probably attacked or something. But Tasuki's right, right now we know something she doesn't. We can go search for the real Chiriko in secret."

Chichiri began to speak when Suboshi felt a twinge of pain in his arm. "Ow…" He pulled up his sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Hotohori looked at him.

"A message from my brother…he's back in Kutou…he sends me messages from Momo and Nakago…" He studied the words from Amiboshi. "Oh no…"

"What is it?"

"Nakago is coming here…to attack…tonight…"

"Are you sure?"

"My brother wouldn't tell me lies." He kept reading. "He wants me to stay out of it…"

"What do you want to do?" Chichiri read over his shoulder.

"I dunno…I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"What do you feel comfortable with?" Hotohori looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Suboshi looked confused.

"You can come with us and fight or you can stay away from the fight. We'd understand either way." 

Suboshi was quiet for a moment. "I'll…I'll fight…No way I'm letting Nakago have her way. We can intercept her before she comes here."

"Then we should prepare for tonight. We'll have to be ready even on such short notice."

The other seishi nodded and left the room. Soon only Kohana and Hotohori were left.

"So you've had experience with our world before?"

She nodded. "Are you mad I didn't say anything before?"

"No. Just confused. You didn't have to hide it."

"I know…but it's even more complicated than just knowing the story…it's so hard to explain…" She sighed.

"Well, now that you've started, you should probably try to finish."

She offered him her hand. "Come on…it's a long story. I prefer to walk around when telling weird stories."

He smiled and took her hand. "I take it this will be an interesting story."

"Interesting…yeah…" She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Well…I guess it started with finding that book…this old lady at the library gave it to me and to me it could make wishes come true and hell…I was 6, I believed her…found out later that old lady was Tai Itsukun…" While they walked, Hime appeared at her feet. Kohana picked her up. "She gave me Hime too…"

"So that was why you knew her when we went up to her mountain…"

"Yeah…and ummm…turns out that she was serious…the wish I made at the time of my sister was reading me the story did come true…"

"What was your wish?"

"I wanted my sister and her best friend to be happy. They both sacrificed a lot for me…it was so hard to watch them be miserable…" She took a deep breath. "My wish came true in the form of seishi…"

"Seishi?"

"My older brothers…they were seishi…my wish brought them out of the book into my world…"

"Seishi…"

"My sister Ayame is married to Tasuki…her best friend Ruri is married to Amiboshi…"

"Suzaku…and Seiryuu?"

"Why not? Outside of this world, what god you worshiped doesn't really matter. They've been living pretty peacefully for the past 10 years. Well…I think the beginning was pretty rough between the two of 'em…"

"I can see why you weren't talking about this before…"

"Well…you should go get ready for tonight…I'm gonna go reflect on my life or something…" She shook her head. "Never thought about everything I've done very much…"

He nodded. "We'll win tonight."

"I'm not concerned with winning…I just don't want anyone to be hurt…" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left him alone.

Hotohori smiled. He suddenly felt someone watching him and turned around. His eyes scanned the area, but found nothing. Deciding there was nothing in the hall, he walked away.

"Doesn't want anyone hurt, huh?" Tamahome scoffed. "Fat chance of that…" He growled and stalked off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Suboshi, you really sure you want to be out here?"

"I can defend myself. What about you?" He looked at Kohana.

"I'll be okay."

"If you say so."

Tasuki rapidly opened and closed her tessen. "Man, I have been itching for a fight for a long time now."

"Don't you fight with me often enough? Stupid pirate…" Tamahome muttered.

"I mean a real fight, you money grubbing bastard." Tasuki stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's enough out of you two. We've got enough to worry about with the Seiryuu seishi showing up. We really don't need you two to fight…more than usual anyway." Mitsukake sighed.

"They'll be here soon…I can feel them approaching." Chichiri looked out to the west. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Nakago! Why are we doing this?! Why can't we go back?" Momo pleaded with her.

"You just don't understand our situation."

"Maybe I don't but I don't understand how fighting them is going to help! Can't you work out some kind of peace with them? I mean, you're practically in charge of Kutou and the emperor of Konan is a seishi…"

"That isn't the point. Our countries have always been at war. It's the way things are."

"Why?" Momo got off her horse and stood in front of Nakago's. "Why are you at war? Do you even remember?!" 

Nakago stared at the younger girl for a moment. She said nothing and moved her horse around the priestess. 

"Hey! Don't turn away for me! I'm not done…" A hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

"Don't, Momo…there's really no point." Amiboshi sighed and offered her the reigns of her horse.

She let out a surrendering sigh and remounted the horse. "I don't want to fight…" She mumbled to no one in particular.

"None of us really want to, but what choice do we have? We can't fight with Nakago." Tomo shook his head, letting pale blue strands of hair droop over his eyes.

"You act like she'd kill you. She can't do that, right?" The seishi accompanying her looked at each other. "Right?!"

"There are other ways of summoning Seiryuu…having all the seishi just happens to be the easiest. We are expendable if need be. You're the only one who's really safe." Soi frowned.

"No…no that can't be…" Momo shook her head violently. "No one is expendable…"

The rest of the way to Konan was spent in relative silence, a few words murmured between seishi, but nothing more. 

When the Seiryuu seishi reached a large clearing dotted with a few trees, Nakago halted the group. "Someone is out here…more than just someone…there are many…"

"The Suzaku seishi!" Miboshi looked around.

"REKKA SHIN'EN!!!" The voice seemed to come from all directions but the fire came from behind. Soi barely had time to counter the fire with a large bolt of lightning. He dismounted his horse and went to go find the source of the fire.

Ashitare morphed to his lupine self and went into the surrounding forest to chase out some more seishi. Within seconds, he came out of the underbrush, wrestling with Nuriko.

Nakago whirled around and glared at Amiboshi. "You told your brother about the attack didn't you?"

"No." Amiboshi stared her right in the face.

"How else could they have known?" 

"Mages have powers you couldn't begin to understand." Chichiri suddenly appeared in front of Nakago. "Peek-a-boo!" She fired off a few energy blasts and disappeared again.

"Amature!" Nakago scoffed and avoided the coming blasts.

Momo got off her horse as quickly as she could and ran into the forest. "Subo---mmmph!!!" As she yelled out for the seishi she loved dearly, someone wrestled her to the ground and covered her mouth with their hand. 

"Don't draw so much attention to yourself, girl. You wanna see him or not?" Momo's eyes widened when she recognized Kohana's voice. "I'll let you go if you don't over react." She nodded. Kohana let go of the other girl.

"Kohana! I've never been so happy to see you!" Momo flung her arms around Kohana. 

"I don't think you've ever been happy to see me." Kohana hugged back.

"Where is he? Is he alright?" 

Kohana smiled. She didn't need Momo to tell her who she meant. She nodded to her left. 

"Suboshi…" Momo was on the verge of tears when she ran to him. 

"Momo…" He embraced her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I want you back in Kutou." She kissed him, not caring that Kohana wasn't standing that far away, her gaze continually shifting from the Seiryuu couple to the fight in the clearing and back again. 

"I want to be back." He ran his fingers through her hair. "But I can't…"

"I know…I know it can't happen now…"

"You understand that I want to help them?"

She nodded. "If it's what you think is right. I understand and agree with you." She relaxed her embrace on him and just held onto his hands. 

He smiled and kissed her again. "Thank you Momo."

While Momo and Suboshi had their moment together, the battle still went on between the seishi groups.

"I expected something better from a student of the Oracle." Nakago blasted at Chichiri.

Chichiri formed a shield and the blast fizzled out harmlessly. "I expected something better period." She materialized her staff and swung it at Nakago. She heard a satisfying crack as Nakago stumbled to the side.

"Well…you can defend yourself and you're strong, I'll give you that…" She stared at her broken arm. "But can you defend your friends?" Nakago flung another chi blast at Nuriko and Ashitare.

"Now you're being cheap!" Chichiri managed to intercept the blast and save Nuriko and Ashitare at the same time. 

"Am I? I don't think so." Nakago smirked. "This is cheap." Despite the cracked bone, she extended both arms and fired. One went for Hotohori and Tomo, the other for Tasuki and Soi.

"You bitch!" Chichiri knew she couldn't save both of them. Hotohori was closer so she ran to save him first. 

Momo saw the panic in Suboshi's eyes. "Are you going to…?"

"I have to…" He let go of Momo's hands. "I love you." He ran towards Tasuki and Soi. For a moment he didn't feel like he was in control of his body. He saw himself push both seishi down and get hit by Nakago's attack. 

Tasuki and Soi stared in disbelief. Momo let out a strangled cry and began to sob. Kohana held her friend as she sobbed. Time stopped for a moment. No one moved. Only Momo's sobs echoed in the area. 

When the blast dissipated, Suboshi dropped to the ground. Blood ran down the side of his face and his arm. Tasuki moved first. "Suboshi!" She stared at the fallen boy and tried to wake him up. "Say something!" 

Momo broke away from Kohana and made a mad dash for Suboshi. Nakago caught her first. "This battle is over for now. But there will be others." She looked at the other Seiryuu seishi. "Back to the palace."

"NO! What about Suboshi? He's hurt! You hurt him!" Momo clawed at Nakago's arm. Suboshi began to open his eyes. He stared at Nakago and Momo.

"He made his own decision. He's a traitor to Seiryuu." She gave Suboshi a cold glare. "If you ever show your face in Kutou again, you'll be executed on the spot."

"No! Nakago, that's not right! Don't!" Momo sobbed even harder. 

Nakago dragged Momo to Soi. "You. Take her back to the palace."

Momo struggled against her new holdings. Soi was kinder than Nakago though. "Lady Momo," he whispered, "Don't fight now. You'll get to see him again one way or another. Everything will be okay." He whispered gently.

Momo looked up at him then back at Suboshi. "I don't see how…" She whispered the words 'I love you' to him before she let Soi take her away.

After the Seiryuu seishi left, Suboshi stared off into space. "Kill me now…" Tears mixed with the blood running down his face. The Suzaku seishi were gathered around him.

"Suboshi, don't talk like that." Kohana shook her head. "It won't help."

"And what good does living do?"

Tasuki suddenly let out a snort and smacked him in the face. "Shut up! Don't talk like that!" Everyone, including Suboshi was shocked by her actions. "Don't do that to your priestess. You just saved my life and survived the blast that was intended to kill me. You can't throw your life away now." Tasuki relaxed a bit. "Mitsukake, heal him?"

"Of course." Mitsukake tied a bandage around Nuriko's arm where Ashitare had gotten his teeth in deep and knelt next to Suboshi. "Just relax. You'll be fine. You got balls kid. That was quite a stunt."

Suboshi groaned in pain as Mitsukake healed his cuts and bruises. "Can we go back to the palace? I wanna sleep now…" 

"That sounds like a good idea." Chichiri nodded and cast a teleportation spell around the group. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How could you not let Suboshi come back?!" Momo screamed at Nakago. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

Nakago sat calmly at a small table. "He helped the enemy. He isn't one of us. He's with them now."

"Them, us, who cares?! In the end, does it really matter?"

"You haven't been here long enough to understand the wars between the gods."

"The gods? You think I care about the gods? They don't matter to me. Your gods don't exist in my world!" She screamed in Nakago's face.

"Neither does Suboshi." Nakago hissed back at her. 

Momo backed off. "You're a cruel woman."

"I don't care what you think of me. And being nice gets you killed. Take your boy toy for example."

She glared at her seishi. "I feel sorry for you Nakago." The older woman glared back. "You think you have everything…but you've lost a lot…you let your heart disappear."

Nakago was ready to slap the young priestess, but stopped herself. "It didn't get me anywhere when I had it." She stood up and left the room. Momo watched her quietly.

Her cape silently billowed behind her as she headed to her own room. "That girl doesn't know what she's talking about. The nerve of her…she doesn't understand anything…" When she entered her room, she slammed the door so hard it didn't shut properly and opened backed up a few inches. "No one understands anything about me!" She screamed and swept her hand across her dresser sending a glass jewelry box flying into the wall shattering it into a million glittering shards. 

The sound of the slamming door roused Soi from his room. Though he was tired, he was too curious to leave it alone. Wincing a bit from the burn on his arm he received from Tasuki, he got up and went down the hall. The sound of glass shattering made him move faster. Silently, he watched her stalk around her room.

"How could she act so high and mighty around me? She doesn't know anything about my life! How dare she presume to tell me about my life!"

"Imagine the nerve of some people." Soi leaned on her door way.

Nakago whirled around and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You make enough noise to wake the dead." He cast a glance at the pile of glass shards.

"Get out of my room." She pointed to the hall.

"Technically I'm not in your room." He smirked in her doorway.

"Whatever. Go away." She turned away from him.

"Then make me." He stepped into her room.

"Get out." She glared at him.

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing." She hissed.

"You can hide from everyone else, but not me."

"What makes you so special? What makes you think you'd understand?" She jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

He grabbed her hand. "I don't pretend to understand fully. But I do understand more than anyone else." Much to her shock, he pulled up the sleeve, revealing the scars on her arm. She would have smacked him, but he had a good grip on her good arm and her other arm rested uselessly in a sling. "I understand how this happened."

"If you don't let me go…"

"I told you to make me get out of your room. You didn't."

"You think you understand…you don't." She pulled her arm away from him. "You don't know what I've been through…"

"Being taken away from the place you call home…no one ever caring about you…doing whatever it takes to survive…closing yourself off to the world."

"Don't preach to me about life. I don't want to hear it." She went to her window. "What I am has gotten me everything I have."

"I know. I'm not saying you have to change. I'm just saying it doesn't have to be that way anymore."

"Why are you saying this to me? You're not making any sense."

"That's usually what love does to a person."

"What?" She stared at him. "What did you just say?" 

"I love you Nakago…"

She shook her head and walked away from him. "No…you couldn't…no one loves me…"

He approached her again. "Don't presume to tell me about my heart."

"Soi…you are a good person…you should save your heart for someone who has hers." She felt tears sting her eyes.

"You have a heart." He embraced her from behind. "Mine. I love you. I won't stop saying it until you believe me." Soi pushed her hair to one side and kissed her throat. 

Pain coursed through her head and chest. Memories of her childhood flooded her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A young Nakago was curled up in a corner of a dark room, crying. She wasn't much older than ten or so. Her arms were covered in bruises and cuts. Some of the fresh cuts still bleed, leaving a dark stain of the ground. Every day since she was six had been like this.

**The door suddenly swung open and light poured into the room. Nakago yelped in pain and tried to shield her eyes. She had a large bruise on the side of her face. **

**"Girl, get up. You're not done for today."**

**"But I'm tired…" Tears continued rolling down her face. **

**"Then you're more worthless than we thought. No wonder your mother gave you up." A tall, shadowed soldier walked towards her. "Stop crying and get up." He grabbed her arm and dragged her up.**

**She didn't have the energy to pull away; she only cried harder. "My mother loves me."**

**"Shut up!" He smacked the bruise. "You're weak. No one gives a damn about you. No one has a reason to. You're a tool. Power to be used by others. That's what you're being trained for. Never to be used for anything else but power."**

**As upset as she was, she didn't have any more tears. She stared at the soldier defiantly. "No! I'm not a tool! I'm human! I have a heart!"**

**The soldier dragged her into a training room and threw her to the floor. "And that's what makes you weak." There were other stone-faced soldiers in the room. "Having a heart, having emotions will get you killed. We have been charged with ridding you of those burdens."**

**Nakago closed her eyes when she heard a whip uncoil and fall to the floor. "I am not weak…" She hissed.**

**"What did you say?" The soldier sneered.**

**"I am not weak." She raised her head and stared at him. "I don't care if anyone gives a damn about me but I am not weak."**

**"Yes, you are." He laughed and raised the whip.**

**"Do your worst." She kept her chin high.**

**The whip came down hard, cutting her back through her tattered shirt. She fell forward but didn't cry out. "You're learning." He whipped her again. She moved less. Every time the whip came down on her, she became less and less fazed. After a few minutes, she wasn't moving at all.**

**"Oh I'm done learning. Time for you to learn." She turned to the captain.**

**"Excuse me? What can you teach me?" He sneered.**

**Her symbol flashed on her forehead. "I'm not weak. I am power. I will not be used by other people." A smirk flashed across her lips and she blasted her primary torturer. He was dead in an instant.**

**The other soldiers looked at Nakago, their fallen captain then each other. They bowed to her. She looked satisfied. **

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Seiryuu no…no one loves me…it's what they always said…" She shook her head.

"They?"

"My…trainers…" She stared at her arms. "The ones who made me."

"What else did they say?"

"That no one would ever love me…that I am a tool…that I am weak…having a heart makes you weak…" She repeated the lessons that had been drilled into her for the most of her life.  She stared off into space.

"They were wrong."

"No…no they weren't…I would have died a long time ago if I hadn't learned." She broke away from him. "I don't need anyone…I purged myself of the emotions that made me weak." She clutched her chest. "They aren't there anymore…"

"I think they are. You just deny that they are."

She leaned against her wall. "So what if I deny it?" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I was fine the way I was! Why'd you have to go and change things?" She raked her fingers through her hair as she sunk to the floor against the wall. She buried her face in one hand and sighed.

"It's a habit." He knelt next to her.

She looked up at him through her fingers. "You know I can't return your feelings now."

"I understand."

"I may never."

"I know." He pulled her hand away from her face. "Love makes a person do stupid things."

She stared into his eyes and saw something she almost didn't recognize. Honesty. Sincerity. Kindness. "I don't understand you, Soi…why would you love me?"

"I'm not quite sure myself." He pulled her to her feet. "Something attracted me to you the moment I saw you. Kindred spirit perhaps…"

"Perhaps…" She sat on her bed. "This is too much for one night…"

"Then I'll leave now." He started for the door.

"No." She grabbed his arm. "You had your chance when I told you to get out before." A tiny semblance of a smile passed over her lips. "The window is gone now."

"Very well." Soi sat down with her. "I guess I'll have to deal with it." With his good arm, he pulled her close and kissed her. She didn't kiss back but neither did she push him away. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment then they curled up into bed.

Momo walked past they open door a few minutes later. She saw Soi sleeping on his side resting his injured arm across Nakago who was lying on her back, using Soi's arm for a pillow. Momo sighed and quietly closed the door.

"'Bout time…" She muttered and kept walking. "Maybe she'll quit being so much of a bitch…"

"Hey Momo, are you okay?" Amiboshi met up with her in the hallway. 

"Physically or otherwise?"

"Either…both…" He shrugged.

"Nakago might have bruised my arm, but it'll be fine. And I miss Suboshi. I want to know if he's okay…"

"He is. I was talking to him a little while ago. Mitsukake healed him."

"That's good." She managed a small smiled.

"I asked him what he was gonna do and he said the Suzaku seishi are going to let him stay there."

"At least he's safe."

"Yeah."

"I'll feel better when I'm with him though."

He patted her shoulder. "This can't go on much longer."

"I know…I'm going to go to bed."

"Good night."

Momo headed back down the hall to her room. "Please let something make the fighting stop…anything…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Naraku watched the Kutou palace with interest. She drummer her fingers on the arm of her black onyx throne. "I think I've been quiet too long…I'll create some mischief soon enough." She reached out into the darkness and withdrew a mirror. The surface of the mirror was smooth as undisturbed water and dark. The frame of the mirror was twisted, thorny vines. 

She brushed the surface of the glass. Faint wisps of light traveled in the darkness.  "Just a few more souls and I'll be able unlock the powers my accused sister took away from me." She smiled evilly. "Those priestesses will do nicely…I think I'll need their little boy friends too…and the soul of my little relative should complete my collection." She thought for a moment. "Then the world will be mine to play with. Finally! My time is here! No one can stand against me now!" She held up her necklace and kissed it. "No one will figure out how to stop me. Thank you Death!" Her laughter echoed throughout the darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	14. An Unbeatable Force

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 14: An Unbeatable Force**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~Conversations between twins~ 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Momo tossed and turned. All the sleeping pills in the world couldn't have helped her. She was out in the middle of nowhere with six of her seishi. They were out to go and train, despite the injuries some of the seishi had from the fight with the Suzaku seishi.  "Damn…I miss Suboshi…"

A shadowy figure passed by her tent, making her jump "Who's there?" Though she tried to sound brave, she could hear her voice shake.

A breathy voice answered her softly. "Momo…"

A chill ran down Momo's spine. The voice seemed familiar. "Wh-who's there?"  

Miboshi was lying on the cot next to her. "Lady Momo, go see who it is if you're so interested…just don't be so loud about it. She turned over and goes back to sleep. 

"Momo…it's me…" Again, the faint whisper floated into the tent.

She shivered slightly more violently. "Wh-who's there?" She gathered what little never she had and poked her head out of the tent.

Momo could only see a shadowy figure in the trees, but she could see most of its face. "What? Forgot me already?" She could see a smile on the figure's face. 

She slowly crawled out of the tent. "Su-Suboshi?" _'It looks like him if I squint…'_

He nodded. "Come on. I have to show you something." He beckoned to her then turned and ran through the tents in camp.

"Hey! Wa-Wait!" She quickly grabbed a robe and ran after him, not thinking about anything but seeing Suboshi again.

Miboshi grumbled at Momo's shouting. "Momo? Momo?!" Much to her dismay, Momo was gone. "Oh shit…" She got up and left the tent. 

   Suboshi cast a glance over his shoulder. "Nice clothes!" He chuckled and ran into the forest.

"Shut up! It's the middle of the night! How'd you get out here?" She loved hearing his voice, even if he was teasing her.

"Come on! We're almost there!" His form seemed to disappear and reappear in different places as he ran.

   She followed him obediently. "Where are we going?" 

Miboshi continued her pursuit of the younger girl. "Momo!! Where is she...Damn it!!" She caught sight of the two running figures and hissed some more curses.

After a long run, Suboshi stopped in front of a large stature of a woman with outstretched are. "We're here." 

"What....what is this place?" She looked at the statue in awe. "Why are we here?" 

Suboshi suddenly started to laugh. "An old friend wanted to see you…" He started to fade away. 

"What are you talking about? Suboshi, what's going on?" She suddenly had a good idea of what was going on.

Miboshi saw Momo from a rather large distance away. "Oh no! This is bad…" She stopped and looked back at camp. "Shoot…I have to get the others…" She ran back as fast as her legs could carry her.

The figure that was Suboshi melted away and was replaced with a shorter, white haired girl. "Hello again my lady." She smirked. 

Momo's eyes widened. "Naraku! No! Get away! You toyed with me before, I won't let you again!" Momo started to make a break for camp.

"Uh uh uh!" A hissing noise filled the air. A fake ryuuseisui came out of nowhere and wrapped itself around her ankles. With a flick of her wrist, the roped hoisted Momo into a tree and all the blood rushed her head. "This time I'm not toying." She held up her black mirror.

Shouting suddenly camp from down in the camp. 

"What?!" "She's where?!" "Why'd you leave her?!?!" "I'm sorry!! I couldn't fight on my own!!"

"Oh listen to your little friends cry. Not that they really care about you. You're only important because you're a priestess. Suboshi wouldn't…love…" She spat out the word like acid. "You if you weren't." She laughed evily.

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" She pulled at ryuuseisui, attempting to get free. "Let me go!"

Her tugging only made it tighter. "You have something I want. This won't hurt a bit!" She held the mirror out and chanted. A ghostly white, clawed hand flew out from the surface and sped towards Momo. She screamed in pain when the hand reached into her body.

"Let her go!" Nakago was the first to reach the statue. Her symbol flared and shot the largest blast she could manage.

Tears flowed out of Momo's eyes as the hand searched for her soul. "No! Stop it! Please!"

As Naraku continued to chant the mirror started giving off a dark glow. "It'll be over soon enough!" With one hand, she idly knocked away Nakago's blast. She hand finally found it's goal and pulled something that resembled a crystal out of Momo.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Momo let out a blood-curdling scream before her eyes glazed over to black and closed. The ryuuseisui around her legs disappeared and she fell into a dead heap on the ground.

"Dammit!! No!" She tried to blast Naraku again. 

Soi joined in the attempt with his lightning. Again,  It's not working!! 

Amiboshi ran over to her and shook her violently. "MOMO! MOMO! WAKE UP!" 

Naraku smiled evily and laughed. "You'll never wake her like that. She won't be the only one to fall tonight. Taa taa! Your contribution to the restoration of my power will be duly noted." She laughed even louder and disappeared. 

Nakago hurried to Momo's side. "What the hell was that thing?!?"

Amiboshi shook his head with dismay. "She's out cold…she's barely breathing…" _'And I promised Suboshi I'd look after her…'_

Miboshi looked like she was going to cry. "That spirit took her soul…" 

"What?" Ashitare growled. 

"How could something steal a soul?" Tomo looked confused.

Miboshi sighed with a hint of guilt. "That mirror holds the properties of manipulating the human soul…"

Soi raised an eyebrow. "You know this how?" 

"I've used it before." Miboshi whispered.

Ashitare barked. "You what?!"

"I…I used it once…to destroy a powerful king…" Her head hung low. "It happened in one of my previous lives."

Ashitare rolled his eyes. "That doesn't really count."

"And why not?" She looked at him questioningly.

"'Cause it's not really you." 

"I remember everything from every life I've lived. And it was me so there!" She stuck out her tongue.

Ashitare opened his mouth to say something when Soi gave them both stern looks. "Cut it out.

Miboshi mumbled an apology and Ashitare just grumbled.

Ami picked up Momo's body. "How do we get her soul back?"

"There is a counter chant to the one used to take souls that releases them. I think that spell is lost though…even if it wasn't, only certain people could even use the spell. I don't think there are any sorcerers left that are powerful enough."

"Couldn't we just kill Naraku?" Tomo asked.

Nakago snorted. "We are too weak for that. My attacks couldn't faze her. She's too powerful of a force."

Ashitare snorted back. "Oh woe is us. The great and powerful Nakago found something she can't do herself."

Her symbol flared. "Don't test me, mongrel." 

Soi's hand on her shoulder was the only thing keeping her from roasting Ashitare.

Miboshi shuffled nervously. "We have to ask for help…"

"I agree." Amiboshi looked at Miboshi. "We need to go to the Suzaku seishi."

Nakago growled. Ashitare wrinkled his nose. "I hate to admit it but I agree with Nakago. I don't want to work with…them…" 

"Look, we can either throw in the towel, let Momo die and be a contributor to Naraku's rise in power or ask for help and maybe save them." Miboshi huffed.

The seishi were silent for moment. Nakago sighed. "Fine…we'll ask for their help. The enemy of my enemy is my friend…"

"We're agreed then? We go to Konan for help?" Miboshi looked at everyone. 

Some nodded quickly, others were a little more reluctant.

"But why would they work with us?" Tomo asked.

"Because they'll probably be in the same situation as us…" Nakago thought aloud. "Naraku said Momo wouldn't be the only one to fall tonight…she probably meant she was going after the priestess of Suzaku next…" Everyone else nodded bleakly in agreement. "Amiboshi, we'll need to contact your brother."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kohana hugged herself tightly in her dark room. The search for the real Chiriko wasn't going well and something else just didn't feel right. _'Something's wrong with Momo…I feel horrible…'_ She climbed out of bed and left the small inn she was at. What started as a clue to where Chiriko was turned out to be nothing. 

The night was completely still. Nothing seemed out of place. Yet, everything being so quiet made it seem like something was about to happen. Kohana sighed and zipped up her coat. 

A cat suddenly meowed. Kohana jumped, not completely sure of what it was. She could see a small cat in the dark.

"Hime? Hime, I told you to stay with An Hua at the palace. Don't you ever listen?" She started to walk towards the cat.

The cat meowed again and started to walk off. 

"Hey! Hime! Don't walk away from me. You have gotten me into so much trouble, I really wonder about you sometimes." She started to run after the cat. 

Tasuki mumbled some swears as Kohana's yelling woke her up. "Kohana! If you don't mind, some of us are trying to sleep!" She stuck her head out the window. "Hey! Kohana! Where are you going?!" She jumped out of the window and ran after her.

The cat ran right out of the village into the surrounding woods. "Hime! If you don't get back here right now, you are so getting locked in the Kitty Carrier!" 

The cat paid no attention to her and kept running. Kohana chased it until they reached a large statue of a woman with out stretched arms. 

"Hime, what are we doing out here?" She stared up at the statue. 

"Kohana! Kohana, get back here!" Tasuki reached the edge of the clearing as Kohana bent down to get the cat. It began to fade away. "Oh shit…I gotta get the others." She ran back to the village, using every bit of her god-granted speed. 

Kohana backed away from the fading cat. "What the hell?!" She tried to run for the village.

"I don't think so, my lady." Naraku laughed and halted Kohana in her tracks. 

Kohana glared at her. "You! You've got some nerve coming around here! My friends will be here to help me!" 

"Me? I have nerve? Oh that is funny little priestess. This isn't your world. You can't tell me where I should and shouldn't be. And your friends can't help you no matter how hard they try. I'm too strong." 

"Piao and Shen can beat you!" She spat.

"Those two? Ha! That's a good one! They may have the inherent ability for powerful magic, but the magic my sister and I practiced is long gone. They could never hope to achieve anything against me!" She laughed again. "You priestesses are so easily fooled. Shame you're given so much power. It's such a waste."

"Priestesses? What did you do to Momo?!" By now the other Suzaku seishi and Suboshi had found them. "What did you do?!" Suboshi sent the ryuuseisui flying at Naraku.

She halted it with her hand and made it drop to the ground. "Oh look. We have an audience. Mustn't let them interfere with the performance though!" Her hand made a pattern in the air and a dark wall separated her and Kohana from the seishi.

Kohana gave them a helpless, fearful look. A similar look passed over their faces. 

"Now hold still and don't scream as much as the other one." She changed the spell on Kohana and pinned her to a tree. Then she looked at Suboshi. "If you have any messages for your little girlfriend, she can deliver them. The priestesses will be reuniting soon enough. She held up her dark mirror and began to chant.

"No! You evil bitch! Stop it!" Piao screamed and pounded at the wall.

After Naraku finished her chant, the same white, clawed hand that attacked Momo went after Kohana. She looked at Piao. "Oh my dear little niece, flattery won't stop me. It's a nice try though."

Kohana screamed when it reached into her chest. "NO! STOP IT! STOP IT!" She writhed in pain and cried.

"Naraku! Stop! Leave her alone!" Hotohori screamed at her.

"You aren't my emperor. I don't have to listen to you." The hand pulled a crystalline object out of Kohana and went back into the mirror. "Perfect. Now don't the rest of you worry. Once I get my powers back, you'll all be together again, dead." She disappeared. Her laugh echoed into the night. Kohana fell from the tree, like she was dead. 

Hotohori got to her first. "Kohana! Kohana!" He looked at her eyes. He caught a glimpse of dull black before her head rolled to one side, eyes closed.

Piao clutched at her chest and began to cry. "Suzaku no…"

"What? What's wrong?" Chichiri tried to comfort her.

"Naraku took her soul! That mirror…there are hundreds of souls trapped in there…Kohana and the priestess of Seiryuu are just two of them…"

"How do we get them back?" Tamahome demanded.

"I don't know! I don't even know why I know what that thing is!"

Suboshi stood distanced from the other seishi. _'Momo…you're gone, aren't you? Naraku went for you first…Seiryuu why?'_ Suddenly his arm twitched. "Ow…"

"What's wrong Suboshi?" Mitsukake approached him. 

"My brother…" He looked at his arm. "Wait…this isn't his writing…"

~Suboshi?~

~Who is this?~

~Nakago.~ They all stared at each other.

~What do you want?~

~What's the priestess of Suzaku's condition? Is she safe?~

Suboshi stared at his arm. He couldn't bring himself to write what happened. There was a dead silence in the field.

~I take it she isn't…Naraku got her, didn't she?~

~How did you know?~

~Momo is in the same condition. Naraku lured her out alone and we reached her too late…~

Suboshi's arms fell limply to his sides. His fears confirmed, he let himself fall to the ground. 

~Suboshi, are you with the Suzaku seishi?~

He didn't have the energy or will to answer. Hotohori continued with the conversation.

~He is.~

~Who am I speaking with?~

~Hotohori.~

~The emperor. Good. I have a proposition for you.~

~I'm listening.~

~Naraku has put us in the same position. Miboshi has provided us with means of saving the priestesses, but we have no means of executing it. Perhaps together, we can save our entire world from that thing.~

~That's an awfully large noble task you're proposing.~

~But there is a chance it could work, am I right?~

~Yes. You are…~

~Then we have an alliance?~ Hotohori looked at the others. "What are we to say?"

"We don't have the greatest of positions." Chichiri sighed. "We're missing one seishi and obviously they know more than we do."

"But they don't have Shen and me. So far we're the only ones who have been able to stand the slightest chance against her." Piao bit her lower lip.

"That's true. Just don't let them know that. We have something they don't and we should keep it that way until we find out if we can really trust them." Tasuki crossed her arms.

"I think it'll be okay…I think…Nakago is never this forward. I don't think she's lying…" Suboshi offered.

Hotohori nodded. ~You have us at a disadvantage. Once reunited with Suboshi, you'll have all your seishi. We won't.~

~I don't see what difference it makes, but if it's that important to you, there will be a guide waiting for in the morning to take you to Chiriko.~

~Should we trust you?~

~Do you want to walk around in circles looking for him?~

Hotohori frowned. ~Very well. We have an alliance. Where will we meet?~

~We'll come to you. You'd probably be killed if you came into Kutou.~

~What a wonderful thought.~

~We will speak again soon.~ 

The writing faded from Suboshi's arm. The seishi stared at each other, hoping they weren't making a mistake by trusting so much in the Seiryuu seishi.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nakago stared at Amiboshi's arm a little longer then left to head back to camp. A few moments later the other seishi followed her in silence. 

Nakago stepped into her tent and sat on her bedroll. She pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed. 

"Nakago? Are you okay?" Soi stood at the opening of her tent.

She was quiet for a moment. "Is this the right thing?" She stared up at him, crystal eyes shinning in the darkness.

"You have doubts?" He entered her tent.

"Of course…Konan and Kutou have always fought. There's hardly been a moment's peace between the countries and even when there was, it was uneasy. Now we both stand against the same ancient evil. Naraku backed us into a corner." She stared out of her tent to the tent Momo was lying in. 

"We will fight back and win. Naraku was beaten once before."

"By people who are dead now. That was 400 years ago. Miboshi's probably right. There most likely aren't any people left that could use the spell even if it weren't lost."

Soi sat with her. "We should have faith that this will work. Power is nothing without faith."

Nakago blew a strand of hair out of her face. "I suppose that makes sense." 

"We'll be okay. And the peace will be good for the country. The people will be relieved that they don't have to worry about war."

She rested her forehead on his shoulder. "Yes…perhaps this is for the best then…"

"And considering that…"

"Enough. Shut up and hold me Soi." She shifted into his arms. She needed to feel his arms around her. Though surprised, Soi happily obliged. He held her close in the darkness. She listened to his heartbeat, strong and steady.

 At times she hated to admit it, but Soi was quickly filling the gaping void in her. In some way he had given her life more meaning and purpose. Perhaps someday she would admit she was learning to love again. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning took forever to arrive. But when it did, Nakago made true on her promise and a man dressed in black robes from head to toe was waiting for them.

"You are the guide?" Hotohori stared at him suspiciously.

"Yes." A short answer, but it was all that was needed.

"How did Nakago know where Chiriko was before we did?" Tamahome demanded.

"The General has her ways. Don't question, just follow me if you want your last companion." He turned around.

"Chichiri, take Kohana back to the palace. Stay with her and explain the situation to Shen and the rest of the palace." Chichiri nodded at the emperor's orders. "Come back tonight. We will hopefully have Chiriko by then."

"I'll go too." Piao quickly added. "I'll watch Kohana."

The others nodded and the three girls disappeared.

The guide looked impatient. "Finished?" 

"Yes we are." Tasuki snapped back. 

"Then try and keep up." The guide took off east. Tasuki followed the closest on foot while the others rode horses. 

Within a couple hours, they came to another small village. The guide stopped out side of the gates. "This is as far as I go. I have also been told to inform you that the Seiryuu seishi will come to your palace within 7 days. Be prepared." And before any more questions could be asked or a 'thank you' uttered, the man in black was gone. 

"Do you really think this is the place?" Nuriko scanned the town. "Or another dead end?"

"I can't believe we have to trust the Seiryuu seishi…" Tamahome scoffed as they entered the village.

"The scroll wasn't helping anyway. It was leading us in dead ends as well." Mitsukake sighed.

They headed to a small stable to rest their horses. A kind old man was happy to take the horses for the day. 

"You folks look like yer from the big cities. What could possibly interest y'all out 'ere?" He unsaddled the horsed and let them feed. 

"We're looking for someone named Chiriko. Could you perhaps help us?" Hotohori asked kindly.

The old man looked at them again. "Y'all aren't the Suzaku seishi, are ya?" 

"We are." Tasuki nodded.

He immediately bowed to Hotohori. "Your highness…I'm sorry…I…I didn't know it was you…"

"It's alright. I'm not traveling as an emperor. We just need to know if Chiriko is here."

"If she is around today, she'd be at the village shrine. Otherwise you'll have to wait till tonight to see if she comes home."

"Thanks mister." Tasuki smiled and was the first one out of the stable. 

The village shrine was a nice building. There were birds of every kind sitting on the roof. Some one on the other side of the roof, out of view, was whistling. 

"Hey! Who's up there?" Tasuki called. 

The whistling stopped and a girl's face appeared over the top of the roof. "Yeah. So?"

"You Chiriko?" 

"Who's asking?" The girl stood up and walked to the edge of the roof. She had very short light blonde hair and green eyes.

"Tasuki."

"Oh hi! I was wondering when you people would come around." She climbed down a ladder on the side of the building. 

"So you are Chiriko then?"

"In the flesh." 

"Come on. I'll go introduce you to the guys."

"Is the priestess here too?"

Tasuki visibly flinched. "We'll explain later…"

By now, the guys had arrived at the shrine. Tamahome looked her over. "Is she Chiriko?"

Chiriko nodded. "That's me."

"Are you sure she's the real one?" Tamahome snorted and cast an almost unnoticeable glare at Suboshi.

Suboshi snorted. Chiriko looked at him funny. "What do you mean 'the real one'? Of course I am." She took off her shoe and showed him the symbol on her foot. "Satisfied?"

"Oh don't worry about him, Chiriko. We had some problems finding you before." Nuriko smirked. "Plus, he's partially insane so it's not really his fault."

The other seishi smiled. Tamahome grunted in annoyance. 

"So what are we going to do now?" Chiriko asked. 

"One of our seishi will be here tonight to take us back to the palace." \

"Chichiri?"

"How'd you know?" Suboshi asked.

"Over powered brain. Real useful power for a seishi huh? Not that I don't mind being smarter than the whole capital city combined, but it really doesn't help much if I'm trying to defend myself now does it? Not unless I can stupefy them into submission." She rolled her eyes. Then she started to look at Suboshi carefully.

"What?" He asked cautiously.

"You're…a Seiryuu seishi…why are you…?"

Tasuki patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. He don't mean any harm. Crazy kid saved my life. Just one of the many things we have to explain to you. If we're lucky, we'll get though it by the time Chichiri comes to get us. Gotta quiet place we can talk?"

"We can go to my house. My parents will be out all day." Chiriko started walking. The others followed her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kohana!"

"Huh?"

"Kohana!"

"My head hurts…"

"Kohana! It's me!

"Momo?" Kohana groaned and opened her eyes. She was lying on the cold floor of a place she'd never seen before. Well, what she thought was the floor anyway. There were people above and below her, just wandering aimlessly. She struggled to regain her senses. 

"Oh Kohana. Naraku got you too?" Momo was kneeling over her. 

"Oh…I think so…where are we?"

"Near as I can figure, Hell." Momo sighed. 

"What did Naraku do to us?"

"Tricked us into going off on our own took our souls. Or something like that."

"So…we're in that creepy mirror of hers?"

"I think so…"

"Are all these people here other souls she's taken?"

"Yeah…some of them are a couple hundred years old. They've forgotten who they are, where they come from, what god they worshiped, everything. They only know that Naraku destroyed them."

"Then we're stuck here like them…"

"Yeah. Not looking real great is it?"

Kohana was quiet. "There could be one hope…"

"What's that?"

"Piaoliang and Shen…"

"Who are they?"

"A couple of my friends at the palace…they're both descended from the two that defeated Naraku 400 years ago."

"Are you serious?" Momo shook Kohana's shoulders.

"Yes! Now let go of me! Jeez!" She pulled Momo's hands off her. "I'm not saying it'll work for sure. Piao and Shen aren't really that experienced in fighting evil spirits, you know?"

"Well, some hope is better than none."

"That's true." 

They sat there in silence. Lost souls passed by them, ignoring the new comers. Kohana and Momo wondered how many of them were still remembered by family and friends. How many had just been given up on?

"Hey Kohana?"

"Yeah?"

"If we get outta here, I swear I'll never be mean to you again…"

Kohana smiled. "You could be mean to me all you wanted if we got outta here. It keeps things interesting."

"Well, at the very least, eternity will entertaining with you around."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Wow…I've missed the good stuff." Chiriko rested her chin in her hands. 

"I'm sure there's plenty more to come." Tasuki smirked. 

Someone knocked on the door and Chiriko got up to get it. Chichiri entered the house.

"Are you guys ready?"

Hotohori nodded. "Yes. Chichiri, this is Chiriko."

"Did Shen say anything?" Nuriko asked.

"He's…well…we'll say very unhappy about the thought of working with the Seiryuu seishi, but he understands it has to be done." Chichiri ran her fingers through her hair. "And I'm trying to keep An Hua under the understanding that Kohana is sick. I don't think she'd understand what really happened."

"We heading back then?" Tasuki got up from the table.

"Unless there's anything Chiriko has to do, yes."

"No, I'm fine. I've got everything I need."

"Then we'll go back." Chichiri cast the spell and made all the seishi transport back to the throne room. 

Chiriko looked around her new surroundings. "That was…unnatural…"

"That was Chichiri." Nuriko chuckled. 

Chichiri cleared her throat loudly and glared at him. 

"Ni-chan!" An suddenly came running into the room to her brother. 

"Why aren't you in bed?" Nuriko picked up his sister and started to take her back to her room.

"I was waitin' for you. Chichiri said you'd come back soon. I missed you Ni-chan." She hugged her brother.

"I missed you too, An." He smiled.

"Is Kohana-ne-chan gonna be okay?" She looked at him with wide eyes.

"…Yeah. She'll be okay." _'I hope…'_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nakago was true to her word and the Seiryuu seishi appeared at the Konan palace within a few days. Momo was put in the same room as Kohana and the room was heavily guarded by Konan and Kutou soldiers. The fourteen seishi found themselves together in the throne room, all staring each other up and down.

"Are we going to get down to business?" Nakago looked at Hotohori.

"I thought you'd like to rest after traveling."

"It makes no different to me. The sooner the better though." She looked around the room. "Too much red…" She muttered to herself.

"I've gotten comfortable around it." Suboshi muttered.

"Well, since you're offering rest, I'll take it. My feet are killing me." Ashitare stretched a bit, shifted into his wolf form and started walking out of the room.

Nuriko grabbed Ashitare by the scruff of his neck as he walked passed. "Don't make a mess, mutt." Nuriko didn't want to let the wolf out of his sight. He wouldn't soon forget fighting with Ashitare and almost loosing his arm to his fangs.

Ashitare looked up at Nuriko and yawned, obviously not caring and shook himself out of Nuriko's grip. He pushed open the door with his nose and walked out. He needed a nice quiet place to sleep for the rest of the day. 

The gardens seemed like a rather nice place. He walked around in a circle a couple of times and lay down to sleep. 

A few minutes later, An Hua came walking through the grass though Ashitare didn't hear. He was too busy dreaming. An Hua saw Ashitare and smiled. "Puppy!"

Ashitare's ears twitched, but he didn't wake up.

An sat down in front of him. "Hi Puppy!"

Ashitare woke up to a small girl with a doll in her arms staring at him eyes to eye. He was more than a little startled and growled at her. He shifted so he faced away from her and closed his eyes again.

"Awww, come on Puppy." She put down her doll and crawled in front of him. "Wanna play?"

Ashitare looked up at her with a 'Leave me alone or I'll bite." look on his face.

"Please Puppy? I'm bored. I wanna play!" She poked him.

What started as a growl changed to an exasperated moan as Ashitare became human again. "For the love of Seiryuu, my name's not Puppy! Haven't you ever heard the expression 'Let sleeping dogs lie'?" 

An looked at the man sitting in front of her with wide eyes. 

"Oh great. You're freaked out now, aren't you? You're gonna run away and call me a monster. Whatever, go ahead." He snorted.

"Cool!" She gave him a big smile."

"See, I knew it. You…what did you just say?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Cool! Show me how! Show me how! I wanna see!" She started jumping up and down.

"Show you how?"

"Yeah! I wanna do that too!" 

"You…you can't. I'm a seishi. You're not, right?"

"No…but my brother is."

"Your brother?"

"Nuriko-ni-chan."

"Oh, for the love of…your brother is Nuriko?"

"Uh huh!" She nodded. "So can you show me how to change?"

"No. Only I can do it." He crossed his arms.

An began to sniffle. "Why you bein' so mean to me? I didn't do nothing…"

"I'm not being mean. You're being unreasonable." He stood up to go find a quieter place to sit.

"I am not!" She kicked him in the shin as hard she could. 

Ashitare clamped one hand over his mouth to stop a stream of words that would have made Tasuki blush. "What the hell did you do that for?! Ah Seiryuu…that's gonna bruise…" He bent over and rubbed his shin.

"You were bein' mean!"

"Was not!

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Don't you have someone better to bug, kid?" He snapped.

"No. Kohana-ne-chan's sick and everyone's talkin' 'bout her so I got nothin' to do. I can't help." She started to sniffle again.

"Oh jeez…you're not gonna cry are you? I hate it when kids cry."

"If you play with me, I won't." 

"Will you let me sleep later?"

"Okay."

"Fine…" He let out and exasperated sigh. "We'll play…" 

"Yay! Thanks Mr. umm…."

"Ashitare…just Ashitare." He shifted back to canine. 

"Okay, Ashitare. My name's An Hua. Let's go!" She picked up her doll and ran off.

Ashitare wasn't sure what An had in mind, but he knew if he didn't go along with her, he'd never have a moment's peace while he was there.

_'Dear Seiryuu…I've just become a child's pet, haven't I? I've never been so humiliated in my whole life…'_

"Come on Ashitare! You're too slow! We've gotta hurry if we're gonna play 'Mess with the cooks before dinner'!" She hurried him along.

_'Mess with the cooks huh? Well, maybe this won't be so bad.'_ He picked up his pace and went after An Hua.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	15. Fate’s Hand

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 15: Fate's Hand**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~Conversations between twins~ 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a tense dinner, the fourteen seishi went into a large meeting room to discuss Naraku. 

"So do you really expect us to believe you have a way to rescues the priestesses?" Tamahome was sitting across the table from Ashitare. 

"Believe what you want, Bird boy." Ashitare smirked.

When Tamahome started to stand up, Miboshi glared at them both. "Enough. We don't have time to argue. Every moment counts here." Tamahome sat back down. "That's better. Now as we all know, Naraku has trapped Momo and Kohana's souls in her mirror. I've heard that long ago, Naraku's sister created a counter spell that would undo what her spell had done. Unfortunately, the spell has been lost for a very long time."

"Why can't we just break the mirror?" Tasuki twirled her hair on her finger. "Seems like less work."

"Do you think we could get the mirror away from her? It doesn't seem possible to me. It seems like a part of her." Amiboshi sighed.

"Could we find the spell somewhere? It might be written down somewhere, persevered by some crazy monks or something." Tomo suggested.

"Crazy monks?" Chichiri felt like smacking him.

"What? You're not a monk, why take offense?" Tomo slouched in his seat.

"I was in a past life."

"So? You were also a guy. It's pointless talking about it now." He shot back.

"This coming from the guy who was insane in a past life." Chiriko blew a stand of hair out of her face. "Of course you'd want to call past lives irrelevant."

"Weren't you a little boy?" Tomo glared at her.

"Better a little boy than crazy." Suddenly, the Ryuuseisui went flying between them. Both jumped back and looked at Suboshi who wasn't looking very happy.

"I'd like us to get through this in one piece, but we really don't have to."

Chiriko and Tomo grudgingly sat back down but still glared at each other. Hotohori looked at a map spread out in front of them. "Where was Naraku from? We would probably have a better chance of finding information in the place she actually lived."

Nakago pointed to a part of the map. "Here. Though none of the gods occupied in her time, Seiryuu controls it now. It's a small water locked group of villages almost touching Konan's borders."

"My ship could get us there within probably two or three days. Four tops.  It's already close by." Tasuki looked like she was already plotting a course.

"Your ship?" Tomo asked.

"Your spies aren't so hot if you don't know that I'm the captain of the Blue Phoenix and leader of the Lake Fushicho pirates."

"Transportation aside, what in the world could we do with the spell even if we found it? Miboshi said there are no sorcerers powerful enough around anymore." Soi shook his head.

"What type of sorcerer would be needed?" Mitsukake asked.

"Someone with the natural talent strong enough I think. Probably someone from the same land as Naraku." Miboshi answered.

"Descendants of the couple that killed Naraku first?"

Miboshi stared at Mitsukake, unsure of what he was implying. "Well, I suppose…but I don't know how far their lines go. There might not be any more."

"Their lines continued. We're probably the last of 'em though." Shen and Piao walked into the meeting room.

"Who are they?" Nakago looked at Hotohori.

"Piaoliang Feng and Shen Yuan. Piao comes from the woman's side and Shen from the man's."

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Nakago snapped at him.

"To keep things level. You had the idea of the counter spell, we have the way to use it. No sense in giving you more than you give us. Now we're even though." Chiriko answered.

"Hey, you've only been with them for like a day. How'd you figure that out so fast?" Ashitare looked at her.

"Just part of the fun of being Chiriko. Too much brain power." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Too bad you can't siphon it off to the mutt." Tamahome muttered.

Soi snapped his fingers under the table, sending a small lighting bolt to Tamahome's leg. He stood up and yelped in pain. "What the hell was that for?" He yelled at Soi.

"I didn't do anything." He and Ashitare looked at each other and smirked.

"Why I oughta…" Tamahome nearly jumped across the table.

"Tamahome, come on. We don't have time for this." Shen raised his hand, stopping the seishi in mid air. "Hmm, I'm getting better at this."

"Well, I got no doubts about you now." Nuriko laughed at Tamahome.

"This is really undignified…" Tamahome muttered. "Put me down."

"If you're good, maybe later." Piao giggled.

"Well I'll be damned." Miboshi said, slightly awe struck. "There could be hope yet."

"So what's our plan then?" Amiboshi asked.

"Seems like the best idea would be for the sixteen of us to go to Naraku's country by boat and start searching where ever we happen to land." Nakago crossed her arms. "Unless anyone else has a better idea?" She looked around the room.

No one said anything. Though it wasn't the best plan, it was all they had. 

Tasuki stood up. "Okay then. Chichiri, send me to my ship will you? I'll get it to dock here," She pointed to a large port town. "From there, I'd give it three days to the port on the island."

"Why don't we just teleport to the island?" Suboshi asked.

"Fifteen people is a lot to transport, even in small groups. And I don't know where I'd be taking us.  By boat is the safest." Chichiri stood up. 

"We have our plan then. Do we agree to always stay on the same side?" Hotohori offered his hand to Nakago.

Nakago looked at the other Seiryuu seishi. They nodded. "Agreed then." She shook hands with Hotohori. "We'll consider ourselves allies."

"Let's go then. Time's a' wastin'." Chichiri and Tasuki disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The remaining seishi looked at each other. It was definitely going to be interesting working together.

"Ashitare! Ashitare, where are you? Are we playing hide and seek now?" 

Ashitare's eyes widened as he heard An Hua's footsteps coming down the hall accompanied by her voice. "Not again…" He moaned.

Nuriko's eyes narrowed. "Why's my sister looking for you?"

"Probably so she can put bows in my fur again." He stared nervously at the door.

"Again?" Chiriko raised an eyebrow.

"What? Super Brain doesn't know something?" Tomo taunted.

"I'm smart, not omnipotent." She spat.

"I don't care what you are, the important question is what do I do to get away from a very energetic little kid."

"Ummmm…run?" Chiriko offered.

"Good enough." Ashitare quickly morphed to canine form and bolted from the room. 

"Ashitare! There you are!" A few seconds after Ashitare disappeared An Hua went running past the open door after him.

"I think I should…gotta go, bye!" Nuriko quickly got up from his chair and ran after his sister.

"Well then…that was different…" Hotohori murmured. "And now that there's nothing left to do until Tasuki and Chichiri come back, I suppose we should all get whatever rest we can."

"Is someone gonna let me down or what?" Tamahome growled, still in the air.

"Oh, sorry about that." Shen snapped his fingers and Tamahome fell to the floor. 

The other seishi got up and began to leave the room. As Suboshi walked past Soi and Nakago, Soi gestured with his head that Nakago should go talk to him. Her returned look asked if she really had to. He gave her an exasperated 'You better' look and left the room.

Nakago wrinkled her nose, but walked over to Suboshi. "Suboshi?"

He looked up at her nervously. "Yes?"

"I…overreacted last time we saw each…I was wrong, you're not a traitor…" She didn't really look him in the eyes.

"I'm not?" Suboshi was more than a little surprised.

"No…if you want to return to Kutou after this is over, there will be a place for you."

"Th…thank you."

"Thank Soi. He's the one who thought it would be for the best. Just don't mention this to anyone else." She walked past him without another word.

Suboshi was almost speechless. 

"Ototo, what's wrong?" Amiboshi put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Nakago just told me I could come back to Kutou…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said Soi made her do that. What's up between them anyway?"

"Well, Ashitare and Tomo have a bet going right now. Ashitare says they'll be lovers before we rescue the priestesses, Tomo doesn't think till after."

"Soi and Nakago, lovers?"

"He's the only one who she talks to. I saw them sleeping in Nakago's room together a few nights ago."

"Are they lovers then?"

"I don't think so. Not yet anyway." He shrugged.

"What a thought, huh?"

"I'll say."

"It's great to see you again Aniki…I just wish it wasn't because of this…" They walked past Momo and Kohana's room.

"So do I Suboshi…we'll get 'em back though. And maybe even have a lasting peace here…"

"Peace…what a thought…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chiriko sat down amongst the flowers of the extensive gardens. "Suzaku, how am I suppose to function with that Tomo around? He's so infuriating!" 

"Is that the best word you can come up with for me? I expected more from the Brain." Tomo laughed behind her.

She sprang to her feet to face him. "Where did you come from?"

"Kutou."

"That's not what I meant, you idiot!" She huffed.

"It's what you said." He smirked.

"Why you…hey wait a minute…" She started to walk towards him.

"What? Too attracted to me to stay away?" Tomo laughed.

"You wish, crazy." She raised her hand as if she was going to slap him, but just passed her hand through his torso. "Illusion. Thought so." The image of Tomo faded away in front of her. "So where are you really?"

"Bravo, Brain. You figured that out pretty fast." He walked out from behind a tree. "It would have taken awhile for everybody else."

"I have a name, jackass."

"So do I, but I don't see you using it." He smirked again and walked towards her.

"Attracted to me, are you?" She leaned against a tree. "I'm flattered, _Tomo_, but I'm really not one for illusions." She kicked a fallen branch at him. It flew through his shoulder. Tomo looked at her and laughed again. His illusion faded away again.

"Well well…guess I can't fool you, _Chiriko_." Finally, the real Tomo dropped out of the tree Chiriko was standing under. "Must be that brain of yours."

"Must be." She looked him over once, then punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" He jumped back and rubbed his arm. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Just making sure you were real." She answered smugly.

"Oh trust me, Chiriko." He leaned in very close to her face. A few strands of his pale blue hair brushed her cheek. "I _am_ the real one."

For a second, she thought she forgot to breath. As quickly as he leaned close to her, he backed up and walked away. She was too confused to be mad. "Dear Suzaku…please let this be a short mission."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Chichiri and Tasuki arrived on the _Blue Phoenix_, the deck was empty.

"Where's your loyal crew?" Chichiri looked around.

Tasuki looked up at the sky. "Probably having dinner." She opened a door and gestured for Chichiri to follow.

They went below deck where the dinning hall was. Chichiri winced as Tasuki kicked open the door. "Hey boys. Got anymore room?"

Some of the pirates fell off their chairs at the sight of Tasuki. 

"Boss!" "Captain!" "Umi!" "You're back!" 

Tasuki managed a small smile.

Ryuuchi stood up. "Captain, what's wrong? You don't look so happy."

"I wish I coulda come here for a better reason than the one I got." She and Chichiri approached the table. "We have a big job to do."

"How much are we getting paid?" One of the pirates asked.

"We ain't doin' this for the money. We're doin' it cause we'll all die if we don't."

A silence fell over the group. They all stared at Tasuki in disbelief. Tasuki looked at Chichiri. 

"Why don't you go back to the palace? I'll take care of things here and spend the night. I could use a night on the water. Bring the others to the port the day after tomorrow."

"Alright then. See you in a couple days." Chichiri sighed and disappeared.

"Do we really want to know what's going on, Umi?" Ryuuchi looked across the table at her.

"Well, you're gonna hear about it. Remember Naraku?"

"That thing that killed Kanaye?" Another one asked.

"Yeah. Her. She's back and she's stolen the souls of the Suzaku and Seiryuu priestesses."

"No way!" "Not Lady Kohana!" "What is she?"

"Naraku's some ancient evil spirit. She wants to destroy the world or something like that."

"So what can we do to help?"

"We're heading to Naraku's homeland." Tasuki pulled a map out of her coat. "This island here. And we're going to have a lot of extra passengers."

"How many is a lot?"

"The Suzaku Seven, Piaoliang, Shen, the priestesses and…"

"And?"

"The Seiryuu Seven."

"What?!" "The Seiryuu seishi?!" "Why?!" "They're not getting on this boat!"

"Hey! Listen up!" She banged her fist on the table. "We're giving them a ride to the island and that's final! We don't stand a chance against Naraku alone and the Seiryuu seishi are as bad off as we are. We have peace between our countries right now. We're allies against her."

Another silence fell over the group. 

"Okay then…we'll do what we can." Ryuuchi nodded. "Even if none of us are really comfortable with it."

"I ain't okay with it either, but there ain't much more we can do." Tasuki sighed helplessly. "We've been backed into a corner." Tasuki sighed and smoothed out her long coat. "I'm sleeping in my room tonight. Make for this port." She pointed to a town. "We'll meet all the seishi there when we dock." She started to leave the room.

No one followed her. Everyone was too stunned to move. They stared at each other. After a few moments, some of the pirates got up to change the ship's course.

Tasuki sat at the bow of the boat, listening to the rhythm of the water. She sighed deeply. "Man, I have been on land way too long."

"What's wrong? Feeling sea sick?" Ryuuchi laughed as he walked up to the seat next to her.

"Har. Har." Tasuki muttered. "I am not feeling sea sick. I've just missed spending the whole day on the water. It's that whole feeling of freedom I miss that you just don't have on land."

He smiled. "We missed you over here. It's pretty boring when you just have the guys on board."

"I keep telling you you should get some more women up here. We can do anything you can."

"Some of the guys still think it's bad luck to bring a woman aboard."

"Yet I'm their captain." She shook her head in disbelief. "Looks like I gotta knock some sense into some of them."

"Couldn't hurt." He chuckled.

Tasuki stood up and grabbed his collar. "Come on, lover boy. It's gettin' late. Time for bed."

"Yes Captain." Ryuuchi smirked and followed her. The other pirates barely noticed when Tasuki and Ryuuchi disappeared into her room. It was a well-known fact that Tasuki and Ryuuchi were lovers. No one cared since pretty much all the pirates had lovers. Some, of course, had more than one but many preferred to just have one they knew they could come to shore and find. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the palace, Nuriko impatiently wandered the halls of the palace looking for his sister. _'If Ashitare hurt her, I'll rip his head off…'_ He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her squeal. Imagining the worst, he took off towards the scream. He pulled open the door and came in. "An! Are you alright? Did Ashitare hurt…" His lip twitched slightly. "You?"

"Ashi-kun, you look so cute!" An Hua squealed in delight. "Blue really is your color! I knew it would look good!" She turned and saw her brother in the doorway. "Ni-chan, doesn't Ashi-kun look cute?" An Hua moved out of the way and showed her brother what she'd done to Ashitare.

"Not a word of this to anyone, Nuriko. Not a word." Ashitare was sitting on the floor, very unhappy. An Hua had pulled his hair into two pigtails and tied them on the sides of his head with big blue bows. Some how, she'd managed to find lipstick, blush and eye shadow and give him what she thought was a good make up job. His eye twitched slightly. "As if this wasn't embarrassing enough…"

Nuriko almost fell over laughing. "Jeez Ashitare, what happened to you? You look ridiculous!"

His eye twitched even more. He leaned over to An and whispered something to her while Nuriko was laughing.

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Ashitare nodded. "You bet."

"Will you help?"

"Of course!" 

"Yay! More fun!"

Nuriko stopped laughing when he noticed Ashitare and An coming closer to him. "H-hey, what are you doing?"

"Ashi-kun said laughing at something is a guy's way of saying he likes it. So I'm gonna give you the same beauty treatment!" She smiled widely.

"Ashitare, you didn't…" Nuriko looked at him nervously.

"Oh but I did. If I got through this, so do you. She's your sister after all." Ashitare closed the door.

Nuriko winced. "Oh Suzaku…" He trembled in fear of the make up in his sister's hands.

Ten minutes later, there wasn't much difference between Ashitare and Nuriko. Both were sitting on the floor with pigtails and custom An Hua makeup jobs. She giggled and smiled. An hugged them both. "Aww, you look so pretty now! I did a good job, right?"

They stared at each other and nodded. "Yes An. It looks very good."

She smiled again. "Yay! Okay, I'm hungry now. I'm gonna go find a snack." She ran off again, hopefully not to come back for a while.

Nuriko found a washbasin and started to wash the thick makeup off. "You just had to get me involved in this didn't you?"

Ashitare started pulling the pigtails out of his hair. "You laughed first. And she's your sister. You shoulda been the one with her, not me."

"Are you lecturing me on how to care for my sister?" Nuriko glared at him.

"I'm just saying you should spend more time with her, even if you do have duties to take care of." Ashitare got a cloth wet and stared scrubbing. "You came running 'cause you thought I hurt her. Which I might add is very insulting to me." He gave Nuriko an indignant look.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"You really think I'd hurt a little kid like her? I don't like kids, but I wouldn't do anything to hurt 'em." He closed his eyes and started rubbing off the eye shadow.

"Maybe I did misjudge you." Nuriko started to dry off his face. "And if you wipe in the same direction, the make up comes off better."

"Well, I did kill you in a past life." He smirked. "I take it this isn't the first time An Hua's gotten a hold of some dangerous makeup. 

"Nope. And I doubt it'll be the last." Nuriko pulled the pigtails out. "Ow…"

"No kidding." Ashitare looked at himself in a mirror. "Shit…it's not coming off very well…"

"I guess it'll just have to wear off then." Nuriko sighed. "She found some pretty heavy makeup this time."

Ashitare's eye twitched. "Excuse me? How am I supposed to explain to people why I have the rather obvious remnants of blush and blue eye shadow on?"

He shrugged. "'An Hua did it' will generally suffice. She's gotten to pretty much everyone else around here."

Ashitare shook his hair out of his face and scoffed. "Remind me never to get on her bad side."

"I don't think An has a bad side. Everyone is her friend. She could probably make Nakago smile."

"I'll believe that when I see it." He smirked.

"It'll probably happen soon enough." Nuriko pushed his hair out of his eyes and left the room.

Ashitare looked at himself in the mirror and snorted. He shifted back to wolf form._ 'I'll walk around like this until that makeup comes off.'_ He off slinked down the hall hoping to find a nice quiet place to rest. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hotohori sat on Kohana's bed. Her eyes were still closed. She would have looked like she was only sleeping if it weren't for the fact that her skin had taken on a ghostly white color. He took her hands and ran his fingers across hers. "I'm sorry Kohana. I failed to protect you…" He held her cold hands in his. "Wherever you are, we'll help you soon. I'm not completely sure, but we're on the verge of something and I know we'll have it soon."

He continued to talk to Kohana as if she could hear about what happened as soon as Naraku took her soul. He told her about Chiriko and the Seiryuu seishi and their intended course of action. 

As he talked, the door to the room began to open. No matter how involved Hotohori was in his one-sided conversation, he was still completely alert and got to his feet to face whoever had come in.

Suboshi nearly fell over when he was surprised by how quick his movements were. "S-sorry. I didn't know anyone besides the priestesses were in here." 

Hotohori relaxed. "It's alright…I was just about finished."

Suboshi stood next to Momo. He looked as though he might start to cry.

"Suboshi…we'll get them back…"

"I know…but it makes me mad that I wasn't around to protect her…I never had a lot of time with her. We didn't know each other very long before Nakago sent me here…We told each other we loved each other through Amiboshi's and my link…we talked sparingly after that. I hadn't been allowed to talk to her since that night Nakago called me a traitor. Nakago had both Momo and my brother under heavy surveillance." Suboshi closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I should have been there with her…I should have…"

"No…it would have hurt too much to be there…" Hotohori shook his head.

"What?" 

"When Naraku went after Kohana…you probably didn't see…but she was terrified. I tried to help her and I couldn't…the feeling is worse than not being there…I've never felt so helpless before…I failed her…"

Suboshi was quiet for a moment. "We all failed someone that night…but we won't next time, right?"

"Right." Hotohori nodded. He got up and left the room.

Suboshi sighed and sat next to Momo. "Hey Momo…I don't suppose you can hear me…but I am here…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chichiri walked slowly down the hallway, wondering how Tasuki was faring with her crew. As she walked past Piao's room, she heard her and Shen talking.

"Are you as uncomfortable with this as I am?"

"Depends on how uncomfortable you are."

"I didn't sign up for the royal guard to fight ghosts…"

"And I became a maid so I could defeat some evil ancestral aunt of mine." Came the sarcastic response.

"Piao…"

"Sorry. I'm just saying there's no telling what happens when the priestesses come around."

"I suppose. I just hoped it wouldn't involve me quite so directly." Shen sighed. "And the whole magic thing. It's nothing I thought I'd ever be doing."

"We kinda have to get used to the cards Suzaku deals us." Chichiri interjected.

Piao looked up from the bed she was making. "What happened when you found out who you are?"

Chichiri laughed. "One day I woke up and some messenger of Tai Itsukun came and told me I had to start training. I was more than pissed off, but I went. I think I was mad at Tai Itsukun for the first couple years of my training. I got over it though." She smiled. "I'd say it was worth it."

"So you're saying we should get over it and roll with the punches?" Piao asked.

"Roll…with what?" Chichiri and Shen looked at her. 

"Never mind. Something Kohana said a lot."

"Well, it's probably the right thing to say anyway." Chichiri shrugged.

"So when is it we have to go to that island?" Shen asked.

"Tasuki told me to bring everyone to the port the day after tomorrow, so I will. Better get ready now."

They nodded and watched Chichiri leave.

"Hey Shen?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you're not happy about this, but are you scared?"

"Me, scared?"

"Yeah. Remember that little thing called fear you used to have as a kid?" She put her hands on her hips. 

He smiled. "Yeah, I remember. And yes. I am scared. There's so much depending on us…"

Piao grabbed his hand. "I know. But you said it yourself. It's 'us.' We're together. And with 14 seishi and 2 gods. I think things aren't looking too bad."

Shen smiled and hugged his fiancé. "You're always right. That gets pretty annoying, you know?"

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yep."

Shen kissed her forehead and let her go. "I'm gonna get some stuff together. You should too."

"I will. Good night, Shen."

"Good night, Piao." He started to leave the room, then he stopped.

"Something wrong?"

Shen turned around and pulled her close for a real kiss. She happily kissed back. His fingers gently brushed her cheek. "Okay…Good night for real this time."

She smiled. "Good night." She sighed happily as he left the room and began to get ready for bed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

O.o Tomo and Chiriko? Oh my goodness, what could this overloaded authoress be thinking? What have I created? Well, hopefully something that works. Later people!  ^_^.

  
~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	16. Waves of Emotion

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 16: Waves of Emotion**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

~Conversations between twins~ 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An Hua sat on her brother's bed as he packed up his clothes. "Ni-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I come too? Please?" She hugged her doll.

"It's too dangerous An. I'd feel better if you were here."

"Please? You always get to do the cool stuff! I wanna go on a 'venture too!" She pouted. "I wanna talk to the pirates some more!"

"We're not going to see the pirates to talk. We have to find a…cure for the priestesses…"

"Could I come if I stay with Kohana-ne-chan and her friend?" She pulled at her brother's sleeve. "Come on. If they wake up, _someone's_ gotta 'splain what's goin' on!"

Nuriko opened his mouth to protest, but he had to admit she was right. If they succeeded in freeing the girls, they'd probably wake up before they could return. They couldn't afford to leave anyone behind. An understood what was going on better than the pirates did so she'd be able to explain. "Okay, okay An. You win…you can come but only if you _swear_ you will stay on Tasuki's ship. Do you promise?"

"Yeah! Pinky swear!" She held out her little finger.

"What?"

"Kohana-ne-chan said you pinky swear when you really promise to do something. She made me promise when we took…" She stopped talking. "Never mind."

"When you took what?" He eyed her carefully.

"Never mind. Can't tell." She grinned.

Nuriko wanted to press further, but he knew An wouldn't talk if she didn't want to. "Okay. I can tell you won't fess up to anything so I'll just leave it." He held out his little finger to his sister. "Pinky swear you'll stay with the priestesses?"

"Yeah!" She hooked her little finger with her brother's and hugged him. "Thanks Ni-chan! I'll go get ready!" She took off before Nuriko could even take another breath to talk. 

An ran past Ashitare, nearly knocking him over. He stuck his head in Nuriko's room. "Was that happy, little blur your sister?"

"Yep."

"Should I ask why she's so happy?"

"She asked if she could come along. I told her she could come if she stayed with the priestesses."

"You sure that's a good idea?" 

"You wanna tell her otherwise?"

"Good point." Ashitare nodded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nakago watched everyone standing around in the throne room. They were waiting for Chichiri to finish gathering her things from her room. She raised an eyebrow questioningly when she saw An Hua come in with Nuriko.

"What's wrong, Nakago?" Soi looked over at her.

"Are they bringing her with?"

Soi shrugged. "I've heard she's very convincing."

Nakago blew a stand of hair out of her face. "He's putting her in danger."

"Would you like to tell my sister she can't come? Because you can sure as hell try, but it won't do any good." Nuriko overheard Nakago and walked over to her.

"I can't believe you're bringing a 12-year-old child with us."

"Like I said you're welcome to try to convince her otherwise."

"Fine. I don't see how hard it is to tell her she can't come."

An overheard Nakago and Soi's conversation and walked over. "Tell me what?"

Nakago looked down at An, ready to tell her to stay in the palace, but when she looked, she couldn't. "Why do you want to come with us?"

"'Cause I wanna see the pirates." An folded her arms stubbornly.

"The pirates? That's what this is about?" She asked incredulously 

"Well…" She shuffled her feet around. "I wanna stay with Kohana-ne-chan for when you guys beat up Naraku…I miss her…"

"So you don't care about how dangerous it is? Naraku can show up wherever she wants." Nakago almost felt bad about wanting to tell An she should stay in the palace.

An looked Nakago straight in the eye. "I don't. And my big brother'll help me if anything happens."

"You're very stubborn you know that?" Nakago crossed her arms.

An grinned widely. "I get it from him." She pointed to her brother.

"Then there really is no changing your mind…" She rolled her eyes.

An giggled. "Nope." 

Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Come on then An…let's leave them alone."

Nakago shook her head in disbelief and looked at Soi. "I've been stopped by a 12-year-old haven't I?"

"Well…yes." He smiled. "I wouldn't worry though. She seems to have gotten to a lot of people. Like Ashitare." He gestured to the other side of the room where An was with Ashitare in dog form. She was small enough to ride on his back like a horse. Ashitare didn't look very unhappy either. He'd become very accustomed to An and took everything she dished out in stride.

"I'm going soft." She muttered under her breath.

"No one faults you for it." Soi remarked. Nakago only responded with a noncommittal snort. 

"Alright people, are we ready?" Chichiri finally entered the room. Everyone nodded. "Okay, everyone stay close. The last thing I need is to lose someone." She closed her eyes. "Oh, I'm going to need such a nap after this…" She then started casting the large teleportation spell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tasuki stood at the bow of the boat, looking into the port town. She smiled when she saw a bright flash of light and a large group of people appear.

"They here?" Ryuuchi stood next her.

"Yeah. All of 'em." She looked over at him. "Ready to deal with the Seiryuu seishi?"

"Nah, but I don't have a choice do I?"

"Nope." She walked over to the side of the boat and began to lower the boarding ramp. "They're not too hard to deal with."

"I'll take your word for it. You've been around them more."

One by one, the seishi came up onto the boat. Hotohori and Suboshi carried the unconscious priestesses with them. Tasuki told them to take the girls to her room. Miboshi was very quiet as she looked around.

She looked at the sail with curiosity. As she expected, there was a detailed drawing of a phoenix on the main sail. What confused her was the color. The sails were all blue. She glanced at some of the pirates walking by, preparing to set sail. Every one of them wore small pendants in the shape of Seiryuu. 

"Somethin' wrong?" Tasuki tapped Miboshi on the shoulder.

She turned and saw Tasuki wearing the same pendant. "What's with the…?" She absently pointed to the necklace.

"This? Well, Seiryuu is the god of water, not Suzaku." She adjusted the necklace. "If we're in trouble, it ain't gonna do any good to pray to the god of fire huh? We do what saves us."

"But you're a Suzaku seishi…"

"The pirates have been praying to Seiryuu for safety long before I came around." She shrugged. "It's worked for a long time, so why change?"

Miboshi shrugged and let the mater go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hours later, the wind was good, the ship was far out to sea and land was nowhere in sight. Chiriko smiled to herself as she walked down the deck. Her hair whipped around her face as she desperately tried to keep it down. "Hmmm, at this rate, we might make it faster than Tasuki thought." As she happily walked along, she heard someone quietly swearing.

A voice mumbled. "Seiryuu forbid anyone finds me like this…"

Chiriko looked around the corner and saw Tomo leaning over the rail, moaning. "What? The all mighty warrior of Seiryuu seasick? So much for the water." 

He turned and looked at her. His face was slightly green. "Oh shit…of all the people to find me…" Chiriko burst out laughing. "Leave me alone. As you can see, I'm not doing too well here." He groaned and doubled over the rail.

"I just find it funny that a Seiryuu warrior hates water." She patted him on the back.

He growled at her. "Well laugh it up then."

She quickly pulled back her hand. "Well, jeez…_sorry_!" She turned away from him.

He let out a long sigh. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped, but I'm sick. What do you want from me?"

She raised her eyebrow. "Well, I want…"

"Oh please don't start…" He groaned.

She looked thoughtful. "I want someone to love." 

Tomo moved away from the rail. "I need a quieter place to hurl…"

Chiriko leaned on the rail close to where Tomo had just been. "What about you?

"What do you mean, 'What about me?'"

"If you could have anything, what would you ask for?"

He regarded her and her question carefully. "I dunno. I've never thought about it."

She stared down at the water. "Sorry…I've just been thinking about well…" Her voice lowered even more. "If we die…"

"Hey…don't think like that…"

She gave him a funny look. "Why do you care? You're the one who said I don't have any real power…"

He lowered his eyes to the deck. "Well…that doesn't mean you should go thinking about dying…"

"Well anyway…" She straightened up. "Have you asked Mitsukake for some medicine yet?"

Tomo gripped the rail for support. "No…I've been to sick to move very far from here…could you go?" He looked hopeful.

"I could…" She moved closer to him and put his arm around him.

"You could, but you won't right? Or you're going to ask for something."

She looked confused. "Huh?"

"Well, you said you could but you trailed off. That's pretty much a sure sign something else is coming."

"If you want me to be an ass, I can." She moved away from him, rather annoyed.

He let out the most pathetic moan she'd ever heard. "No please don't. I'm sorry. Please help me…"

"It's nice to know that you have confidence in me." She put an arm around him again.

"So you'll get Mitsukake?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm gonna get the local shaman! Of course I am! But you're coming too." She tugged at him.

"But I can barely walk!"

She let out an exasperated moan. "Fine. I'll go get him." She started walking away. "But you owe me!"

"Okay, okay, I owe you!" He waved her off and leaned over the rail again.

As she disappeared around a corner, Ryuuchi appeared. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He looked up at the sky and moaned. "Why can't the world leave me alone? I'm seasick, what's it look like."

"I know. And I've seen worse. I meant why'd you act like you hate that girl?"

He blushed. "Act, who's acting? I can't stand her!"

He cocked his head to the side. "I thought you two were lovers."

His eyes widened. "L-l-lovers!? Me and her, are you blind?! We do nothing but fight!"

"So you don't like her? At all?"

His blush deepened. "N-no!"

He smirked. "You know, if I didn't have Tasuki, I'd probably be looking at her."

Tomo bit his lower lip. "What exactly are you saying?"

"Oh come on, you don't think she's cute? I think she's got a thing for you. Can't imagine why…" Ryuuchi rolled his eyes. "You aren't gay are you?"

Tomo's entire face turned bright red. "I am not! She's just not my type okay?"

"Whatever." He walked off. "Hope you get over that seasickness."

Chiriko reappeared. "Hey Tomo!" She bumped into Ryuuchi. "Oops. Sorry."

He smiled. "No problem." He walked off.

"So what did Mitsukake say?"

"Um, take this when you feel sick and don't take too many otherwise you'll really be sick." She handed him a bottle.

He managed a smile. "Thanks. Thanks a lot."

She smiled back. "No problem." She sat on the deck and leaned on the rail.

"Well…I'm gonna try and get some sleep…maybe later I'll be able to keep dinner down." He began to walk away on wobbly legs.

"You uh…need some help?"

He sighed. "Though my pride says no…I have to admit I do…"

She laughed. "How the mighty do fall." She helped him stand up straight and walked him too his room.

"Thanks again. And I'm sorry for being such an ass."

"Well, we didn't get off to the best start." They arrived at his room and she opened the door. "Wanna try again?"

"Maybe after I'm feeling better. I think I'm still liable to snap at you for something stupid."

"Okay…maybe tomor-Oh shit!" She suddenly tripped over something.

Tomo reacted pretty quickly for being so sick and caught her. "You okay?"

She blushed. 'Yeah…I think so." _'I'm just soooo graceful. I wonder how much of a freak he thinks I am now.'_

Tomo couldn't seem to bring himself to let her go. "Well umm…that's good…"

Chiriko was getting slightly uncomfortable. "Ummm…I think I should go…"

He blushed and let her go. "Yeah, sure. S-sorry."

She was still blushing. "No sorry…I'm bad at…walking…oh that came out so wrong…" She lowered her eyes. 

Tomo chuckled softly. "I won't hold it against you."

She rolled her eyes. "Like hell you won't." Then she smiled. "Well, I hope you get better soon."

"Thanks. I think I will." He walked into his room.

"Umm…bye…" She closed the door and walked away.

"Bye…" _'Yee gods…I'm talking to a door…'_

Chiriko wrapped her arms around her midsection where Tomo caught her. "Please don't tell me I've lost my mind at my age…" She shook her head and walked back to her room.

Tomo paced back and forth in his room. _'I wonder where I could find a rose…'_ He paused. _'Wait…why am I worrying about it? It's not like I like her or anything…though Ryuuchi is right. She's pretty cute…'_ He ran his fingers through his hair. _'Argh! What am I saying?!'_ He sighed and dropped to the bed. "I blame the seasickness…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Daylight came and went with no major problems. Before Nakago went to her room to go to sleep, she stopped in Tasuki's room to see Momo. Nakago didn't know whether or not to be worried about her. The priestesses' breath was shallow and their skin extremely pale, but they'd been like that the entire time. There was no change so although they weren't getting better, they weren't getting worse either.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't like Momo in the least. They always fought with each other, they screamed cruel things at each other, they never agreed on anything, yet Nakago couldn't stand seeing her like this. 

The Momo lying on the bed in front of her wasn't the Momo she had come to know. She didn't really like admitting it, but she had some to see Momo almost as a sister she had never had. Momo was one of the few people that wasn't afraid of her. It was actually nice to argue rather than have people give up and agree with her immediately. 

She laid her hand against Momo's cheek. Her skin was frigid. Nakago took a blanket and laid it over Momo's body. "I hope you're happy…you've actually gotten me to worry about you. You'll never let it go once you wake up will you?"

Nakago then looked over at Kohana. She looked pretty much the same as Momo, lifeless and hopeless. "I'm supposed to be your enemy…yet look at me…I'm here helping to save you…" She found another blanket and laid it over the other priestess. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore…"

She sighed and left the room, closing the door behind her. As she walked, she undid the clasp on her cape and draped it over her arm. Once she entered her room, she dropped the cape into a heap on the floor. She sat on her bed, kicked off her boots and let out a long sigh. She took a book off her table and began to read. After a few pages, she put down the book and sighed. 

"Something wrong Nakago?"

Nakago looked up and saw Soi in her doorway. "I'm not sure…"

"Not sure?"

"No…close the door and come here. I need someone to talk to."

He did as he was told and approached her bed. "I'm always here for you."

"I know." She sat up and folded her legs, giving him more space to sit down. 

"So what's bothering you?"

"I was in the priestesses' room just now…" Nakago sighed again. "I can't stand seeing them like this."

"Is that a bad thing? None of us like seeing the girls like this."

"I know…but I thought I hated them both. Momo and I haven't gotten along from the start and I was always taught to hate Suzaku's people, but I can't find it in myself to follow those teachings…I don't understand why either."

Soi gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Welcome back to humanity. I knew you'd come around."

Nakago stared at Soi's hand on hers. "I didn't think I was ever there…"

"Everyone is. Whether you like it or not."

"Maybe…" Nakago looked up at Soi. "Soi?"

"Hmm?" He moved closer to her.

"What's your real name?"

"My real name?" He looked at the ground. He was quiet for a while. "I don't remember…it was always Demon-Brat or Hell Spawn until people actually figured out I'm a seishi…I might not have had a real name…"

"Then pick one. Name yourself."

Soi was quiet for a long time. Nakago waited in silence with him. "Rai…" He soon whispered.

"Simple, but fitting." She smiled. 

"Do you remember your name?" The smile disappeared from her face. Another silence filled the room. She closed her eyes as Soi wrapped his arms around her. "I shouldn't have asked, should I? I'm sorry."

She stayed quiet in his arms for a moment. "Sachiko…my mother called me Sachiko…"

"Sachiko…" He murmured softly.

"It sounds better when you say it." The smile returned to her face. 

He kissed her deeply. "Then I'll call you that more often."

She returned his kiss shyly at first, then much more forcefully. "I love you Rai…" She whispered in a breathy voice. 

"And I love you Sachiko." Soi ran his fingers through her hair. 

Nakago held him close. "I can't believe I just said that."

"You don't want to take it back do you?"

"No…no I don't…" Her hands slipped down to his waistband and she tugged at his shirt.

Soi began to kiss her neck and collarbone. "What do you want?"

"I want…I want the pain to go away…I want to live again…with you…" She blushed. "Again…I'm saying things that don't sound like me…"

Soi chuckled and continued to kiss her as he lowered her down to the bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So ya over the seasickness, ya little wuss?" Ashitare slapped Tomo on the back.

"I am not a wuss!" Tomo shoved back.

"Oh please, we weren't out here for more than an hour when you ran off puking." He laughed. "You only feel better cause your little girlfriend was willing to help you."

"What girlfriend?" He snapped.

"Chiriko, duh." He laughed again. "Ryuuchi told me about how you needed to get her help."

"That little rat…" Tomo growled.

"Hey, lighten up. No one's gonna yell at you for liking her."

"But I don't like her!"

"She tripped, you caught her and wouldn't let go. I saw you. Don't try and weasel out of the truth."

Tomo turned bright red as they walked down the hall. "Shut up!"

"Man, you should have heard An when she saw it too. She thinks it's the cutest damn thing she's ever seen. I thought I was gonna puke, but hey she's a little kid."

"Don't you ever shut up?! I don't wanna hear about it!" He clamped his hands over his ears. 

Ashitare laughed at him again. "You're a wuss you know that?"

"I am not!" Tomo hissed. "If you don't stop talking about Chiriko and me, I'll tell An you want to play dress up tomorrow!"

"You little son of a…you wouldn't dare!" Ashitare's eyes widened. "An's a sweet kid and all, but I cannot stand dress up! Anything but dress up!" Tomo laughed out loud. "You sir, play dirty."

"And I greatly enjoy it." He gave Ashitare a mocking bow.

"Oh you better start running Tomo…" Ashitare ran at Tomo. 

Tomo let out a squeak and started running. Chiriko heard them run past her door and sighed. She heard them yelling at each other but she couldn't understand any of what they said.

"Boys will be boys…" She said as ran her fingers through her hair. "Man…I look like a boy. I should let this grow out…"

She walked away from the small mirror and changed her clothes for bed. Then there was a knock at her door. "Come in."

The door opened and Miboshi came in. "You're not busy are you?"

"Not really. What's up?"

"I wanted to apologize to you for Tomo."

"What? Why?" 

"I know he can be a jackass sometimes. I had to come to the Kutou capital with him from you know, the country and wow, was I ready to kill him by the time we got there." She laughed. "But he's not so bad once you hang around him for awhile."

"What makes you think I'd hang around him long enough to have him be nice to me?"

"You like him don't you? And he likes you." She noticed Chiriko's confused face. "What? You haven't noticed?"

"He's always mad at me or making fun of me for something. That is not a sign he likes me." She shook her hair out of her face.

"Yes it is! Guys always do that to the girls they like."

"Did Suboshi do that to Momo?"

"Yeah. They were pretty mean to each other for a while."

"Fine. Did Hotohori do that to Kohana?" She crossed her arms.

"Well, probably not…" She sighed. "Fine, fine…I shouldn't say guys always do that…but a lot of them do."

"Well, even if he does like me, which he _doesn't_, I don't like him."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Really sure?"

"Yeah…" She let out an annoyed snort.

"Really really sure?"

"Yes! I could _never_ like a cute jackass like him!"

"Aha!" Miboshi grinned.

"'Aha' what?"

"You said he was cute! I knew you liked something about him!"

"No I don't! And I did not say he was cute!"

"Yes, you did! You called him a cute jackass!" Miboshi laughed.

"No way!"

"You so did!"

"I did not!" Chiriko blushed.

"Then why are you blushing?" Miboshi pointed at a mirror.

"I am not!" Chiriko covered her cheeks with her hands. "It's just hot in here."

"Oh you are such a little liar!" Miboshi giggled.

"Chiriko! Miboshi! What is going on in here?" Hotohori knocked on Chiriko's door.

"Chiriko won't admit she likes Tomo!"

"Oh my God! Miboshi, shut up!" Chiriko whipped a pillow at her.

Hotohori smiled. "You can argue about that in the morning. Some of us would like to sleep tonight."

"Okay. I'll go to my room." Miboshi cast a glance at Chiriko. "You _so_ know I'm right."

"Oh shut up. You are _not_."

Miboshi rolled her eyes and laughed again as she left Chiriko's room. Hotohori looked at Chiriko.

"What?" Chiriko asked nervously.

"Well, do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you like him?"

"N-no!" Her face flushed.

"If you say so…"

"Oh, not you too Hotohori!" She raked her fingers through her hair. "I don't like him!"

"Okay, okay." Hotohori held his hands up in defense. "I won't push it."

"Thank you." Chiriko muttered through her teeth.

"Good night Chiriko."

"Hotohori?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think Kohana will like me? I mean, we haven't met yet…"

"I think you two will get along fine. There aren't too many people Kohana doesn't get along with."

"I hope I get to actually meet her soon."

"I'm sure you will. I believe we will be able to rescue them soon."

"Good night Hotohori."

"Good night Chiriko."

Chiriko blew out her lamp and got into bed. After a time, she drifted off to sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay…I'm a little uncomfortable with that fade to black love scene…was it okay? If nobody likes it, I can take it out. It seems awkward to me, but I always think what I write is bad or awkward or something to that degree.

~*~Shadow Hawk~*~


	17. Into the Unknown

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 17: Into the Unknown **

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

Conversations between twins

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wind blew softly through the trees. A few birds sat on the branches and made noise. Suddenly everything stopped. The birds went silent and the wind stopped.

Naraku walked into the clearing, mirror in hand. She looked around. "Almost a shame I'll destroy this place…almost…" She put her mirror on the ground and sat down with it. "For now we'll check on the little priestesses…" She waved her hand over the surface. "Pitiful fools…"

-----------------------------

Kohana sighed. She felt like she's just walked around this strange mirror world for the thousandth time. The only hope she still clung to was her memories of Hotohori, though they were getting more distant.

Momo stood a few meters away, staring off into space. Kohana stared at her. "Momo, what are you doing?"

Momo didn't say anything. She just kept staring. "Momo! Momo, answer me!" Kohana ran over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Momo!" She gasped. "Momo, what's wrong with you?"

Momo's eyes were very dark, nearly black. "Who are you? For that matter, who am I?"

Fear flashed across Kohana's eyes. "Momo! It's me, Kohana!"

"Ko…hana?" Momo cocked her head to one side. "I don't…remember…"

"What? No! Momo, don't say that!"

"Why are we here? Why don't I really feel like myself? …Not that I really remember who I am…"

"You're Momo Tanazaki! The priestess of Seiryuu! You've got all your seishi. You love Suboshi, remember? One of you seishi."

"Suboshi…I…I can almost see him…"

"You said he was really annoying when you met him, but he was really cute. Brown hair and sea blue eyes…Nakago sent him to masquerade as one of my seishi just to separate you two! He loves you as much as you love him…dammit Momo, remember! Don't make me be the strong one! That's your job!" She felt her eyes sting with tears.

"Oh Kohana, I don't know what's wrong with me! How come you can remember and not me?" Momo burst into tears. "I can't see him!"

"Don't you dare say can't." Kohana was ready to slap her. "You've got to remember."

"It's too hard…"

"No…don't let Naraku win…the seishi are going to save us…"

"Naraku?" Her eyes flashed green. "Naraku…" She said the name again angrily, remembering what was happening.

As if on cue, a loud, malevolent laughter echoed through the dark space. "You twits! Do you really think they'll help you? They'll be joining you soon enough!"

Kohana felt a wave of rage run through her. "No! Piao and Shen are going to stop you! Their ancestors did and so will they!"

Momo smiled. "It's only a matter of time before they get us out!"

"Please! Those two are pitiful sorcerers!"

"They've beaten your creatures before!" Kohana spat. No one answered. She rolled her eyes. "Of course she left because she knows we're right."

"On that bright side, that evil bitch got me to remember, at least somewhat." Momo rubbed her head. "I hope they hurry…"

"Me too…" Kohana sighed and looked up. "Me too."

----------------------------------------------------------

Suboshi had nodded off next to Momo's bed.

Hotohori stood in the doorway. "Suboshi?"

Suboshi's head jerked up. "Huh?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh I don't know…" He sighed. "A while maybe…"

"We'll free them…"

"I know…" Suboshi touched Momo's face. "I just feel like she's slipping away. We have to hurry."

"Well, can't rescue people on an empty stomach. Dinner's ready. Come on."

"Of course." Hotohori kissed Kohana's forehead and got up. He followed Shen out the door.

Down in the dining room, all the seishi were sitting among each other, no longer Suzaku seishi on one side and Seiryuu on the other. They were all talking happily except for Chiriko and Tomo who were sitting as far away from each other as possible and just glared. Hotohori found a seat next to Amiboshi. "Lovers' quarrel?" He looked back and forth between them.

He shrugged. "They're arguing about something. Like always."

"Always fun." Hotohori smiled and shook his head.

"Ain't it just?" Tasuki leaned in on the conversation. "It's only a matter or time before they A) kill each other or B) end up sleeping together."

"That's incredibly crude Tasuki." Hotohori rolled his eyes.

"And your point?" She smirked.

Amiboshi smiled. "Anyway, Tomo and Chiriko have been the subject of tonight for long enough. Tasuki, how much longer till we get to that island?"

"If all goes well, probably early tomorrow afternoon."

"What do we do when we get there? It's not exactly a small island. We can't afford to wander around for long." Soi nodded to the map of the island at the center of the table.

Everyone stared at the map. Soi was right. The island wasn't the largest in the world, but it would certainly take weeks to explore the island on foot looking for Naraku's original village.

"We split up." Chiriko stood up. "One heading east and the other west. Piao and Shen will be in separate groups in case Naraku appears. The twins will be separate too so we can keep in touch. The rest of us can draw lots for groups."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, thinking about the plan. Nakago looked back and forth at everyone at the table. "Sounds like a good idea. Anyone want to argue?"

At first no one made a move to speak. Tomo looked as if he might have had something to say but Ashitare gave him a sharp kick under the table. "You just want to argue for the sake of arguing so just don't start." He hissed.

Tomo winced and made a face. Mitsukake rolled his eyes. Nakago tried not to notice. Chiriko hid a smirk.

"Well then, we'll draw for groups in the morning." Hotohori nodded. "We'll just finish dinner for now."

-----------------------------

Chiriko quickly wrote 1's and 2's on some scraps of paper and tossed them into a little bag. "Okay, let's get this over with."

Everyone took turns and pulled for their group. Chiriko watched Tomo take the 2nd to last piece of paper.

"What did you get?" She watched him unfold the paper.

"One." He crumpled the paper and put it in his pocket.

"Suzaku help me if I have to travel with you…" She glared at him before she pulled out the last paper.

"Seiryuu save me if I have to spend one more day with you." He stalked off.

She unfolded the paper and felt the color drain from her face. "Oh shit…"

"What's wrong Chiriko?" Miboshi walked up beside her.

"Everything…" She muttered.

"I'd say she just found out she's gotta travel with Tomo." Nakago smirked. "Shame we're gonna have to miss that show, eh Tasuki?"

Tasuki laughed. "I'll say! You three wanna keep us informed on them?" She looked at Piao, Miboshi and Chichiri.

Chichiri laughed. "Of course. This is too good to keep anyone out of the loop."

"Why are you people having so much fun at my expense?!" Chiriko growled.

"Sorry, but it is kinda easy." Piao smiled and shrugged.

"Oh somebody save me…" Chiriko buried her face in her hands. "This is gonna be a disaster…"

"It was your idea…" Miboshi smirked.

"I'll be in my room." Chiriko growled and stalked off.

The other women stood by and laughed.

On the other side of the boat, Nuriko and Ashitare were dealing with An Hua.

"But I wanna come with! The boat's gonna be boring if no one's around!" She looked like she was going to cry.

"An, it's one thing to come on the boat with us, but we're going to have to fight that demon woman. You could be hurt." Nuriko picked up his little sister.

An stuck her bottom lip out. "I'm not afraid of the freaky lady. She should be afraid of me!"

"An, she stronger than you think."

"I'll still beat her."

"Which is why we need you to stay here and protect the girls." Ashitare offered.

Nuriko nodded. "That's right. Momo and Kohana-ne-chan need you to watch after them."

Ah Hua stuck out her bottom lip. "Really?" The two men nodded. "Fine…I'll stay…but you two both have to bring me somethin' back."

"An, we're going out to rescue the priestesses…" Nuriko looked annoyed.

"I know that, ni-chan. You two have to bring Kohana and Momo-ne-chan back."

Ashitare laughed. "Okay An. They'll be back before you know it."

"Okay Ashi-kun!" An smiled widely, hugged them both and ran off to the priestesses' room with Hime running at her heels.

-----------------------------

As the ship pulled into port, Tasuki saw a rather angry dock master glaring at the sail. "Fantastic…I don't think we're gonna be able to dock here."

"Dock anyway. I'll take care of it." Nakago looked over the side of the boat at the dock master.

"What are you gonna do? Blow him up?" Tamahome muttered.

Nakago rolled her eyes. "No, but if you don't back off you'll find out what it's like to be a woman." She threatened, pointing a glowing finger at Tamahome's crotch.

Tasuki laughed after Tamahome ran off. "Well, better do whatever you're gonna do now." She kicked down the boarding ramp and started to walk down it.

As she and Nakago walked down the ramp the dock master started yelling at them. "You there! Woman! That's the _Blue Phoenix_, ain't it? We ain't gonna dock no bird boats here!" He growled angrily.

"Keep your pants on old man. We're staying here." Nakago stepped up next to Tasuki.

"And who the hell are you? You'd have to Seiryuu hisself let me dock a bird boat here."

"Close enough." Nakago growled back. Her symbol flashed and she launched a blast just above his head. "We're docking here."

The dock master stumbled backwards and fell over. "L…Lady Nakago! I didn't know it was you…I'm sorry milady…but what are you doin' wit' them?" He looked at Tasuki.

"Are you familiar with a spirit named Naraku?" The man nodded nervously. "We're working together to stop her from destroying the world. Is that a good enough reason for them to be here?" She loomed threateningly over the short man.

The man only managed a small nod and ran off, too afraid to hang around. Tasuki smirked and applauded. "Very impressive Nakago."

Nakago gave an exaggerated bow. "I try."

Tasuki went back up on deck to get the others. After looking at a better map of the island, Piao, Chichiri, Chiriko, Nuriko, Miboshi, Tomo, Ashitare and Amiboshi would start going east in the morning while Shen, Mitsukake, Hotohori, Tamahome, Tasuki, Suboshi, Nakago and Soi were going west.

-----------------------------

Chiriko hung near the back of the group while Tomo was near the front. After a time, Miboshi dropped back with her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Did Tomo do something?"

"Yeah. He was born."

"Chiriko…" Miboshi sighed.

"Well, I mean…I never did anything to him and from the moment you guys came he's been bugging me."

"I still think he likes you."

"Shut up. That's disgusting." Chiriko sneered. "Tomo is the rudest human being I've ever met!" She growled loudly.

"Yeah, you're a real piece a work yourself, smart ass!" Tomo turned around and yelled back at her.

"My name is Chiriko, you ass! C-H-I-R-I-K-O!! Get it right!" Miboshi backed away from the other female seishi, worried she was about to explode.

"Tell someone who cares!"

Chichiri and Amiboshi quietly walked off to the side. "And here I was hoping they'd work together for the sake of the world…" Chichiri rolled her eyes.

"I dunno if anything will get them to be nice to each other."

Ashitare and Nuriko joined Chichiri and Amiboshi on the side. "Just wait till one of them's in trouble. The other will come running." Ashitare muttered.

"You really think so?" Amiboshi asked.

"You think Chiriko would let anyone kill him but her?" Ashitare laughed.

Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Dear gods…this is going to be such a long trip."

-----------------------------

Tasuki put another log on the fire as it began to die. "Anyone seen Tama-baka?" She asked as she looked around and noticed he wasn't around.

"Probably off in the forest, breaking things." Nakago muttered as she took a drink of water.

Hotohori said nothing. He just stared into the fire. He had too much on his mind to join in the conversation.

"Of all the people to travel together…it had to be those two…" Mitsukake muttered softly while going through some medical supplies in his bag.

"What _is_ going on amongst you people?" Soi asked as he picked up a stray package of bandages and handed them to Mitsukake.

"Thank you." He put them away. "A typical teenage love triangle. Hotohori loves Kohana more than anything, she loves him the same way and Tamahome just wants to mess it all up…"

"And I thought the Suzaku seishi didn't have fights like this."

"If only…it'll be a miracle if they both make it through this in one piece…"

"You think they'd attack each other?"

"Hotohori would never attack Tamahome…but I wouldn't put it past Tamahome. Not after the things he's said to Kohana…" Mitsukake frowned at the memories of the day he met Kohana and Tamahome.

"What a wonderfully loyal seishi…"

"No kidding…"

-----------------------------

Tomo was walking fairly far ahead of Chiriko. "Hey, you wanna hurry it up there, Miss Brain?"

She glared at the back of his head. "Wanna shut up there dumb ass…"

He looked back angrily. "What'd you say?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing oh wise and mighty leader."

" I never said I was the leader."

"Do you even know where we're going?"

"I said, 'I never said I was the leader'!"

Chichiri and Amiboshi just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Well, do you? You never answered the question."

"Do any of us know where we're going?" Tomo stopped and glared at her.

Chiriko glared back. "Well of course I know where we're go---oh shit!" Chiriko suddenly tripped on a rock and went flying down the slope at the side of the trail.

Tomo burst out laughing as she went tumbling. "Smooth move!"

Chiriko screamed as she rolled until a well-placed tree stopped her. She hit it with an incredible force and dropped to the ground. "Ow…" She groaned in pain.

Tomo laughed even harder as he jogged down the hill to help. "You know, Mitsukake is in the OTHER group. Maybe you shouldn't do stuff like that."

"I'll do whatever the hell I want!" She fumed as she wiped some dirt off her pants.

Amiboshi was about to run down to help when Chichiri held his shoulder. "Let's just leave them."

"Are you sure they won't kill each other?"

"If they do, we'll blame it on a squirrel."

Amiboshi blinked a few times. "You guys are really weird.

"You could use a comb. Tomo pulled a twig out of her hair and continued to snicker.

She blushed and swatted his hand away. "St-stop it! I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

He rolled his eyes "'Cause you did such a great job when you fell."

"Why I oughta...." She looked ready to punch him in the face. "Whatever." She muttered and walked away.

"What, no retort?" He mocked but as she turned around, he looked a little concerned._ 'Have I been pushing her too much?'_

"Why would I want to waste the good ones on you?" She continued walking, not paying attention to where she was inadvertently leading them. After about 15 minutes of walking, she finally looked around. "Is it getting darker or are we in a cave?"

Tomo looked around for the first time and saw a spider run up the wall. He made a face. "Now you've done it. You've led us straight into a cave. As he walked, reprimanding her, he tripped on a rock and fell over. "Ow…damn floor."

Chiriko laughed and offered him a hand. "Now who's the graceful one?"

He grudgingly took her hand and pulled himself up. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah." She wiped her hand on her pant leg and looked back. "Think we can find our way back?"

"I dunno…we've been walking for a while…" He stared at the floor. "And I'm worried if we walk any further, the floor's gonna break and we're going to fall to miserable deaths."

"Highly unlikely." She said very matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"Falling down a sudden hole. From what I've seen of this cave, the way it's constructed it's highly unlikely that the floor would…Hey! Stop that you jackass!" She gave him a solid punch in the shoulder when she caught him making faces at her while she talked.

"Ow!" He rubbed his shoulder. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes. You're being stupid again."

"Well, you don't need to go Super Brain on me here. You could have just said, 'The floor's not gonna drop out, dumb ass'" He mimicked her voice and crossed his arms.

She punched him again. "I do not talk like that!"

"You can't prove that!" He growled.

"Would you quit being a jerk for once in your stupid life?!" She gave him a hard glare.

Tomo was about to scream back when he realized there were tears in her eyes. His glared softened. "Sorry Chiriko…I didn't mean to…"

"Leave me alone!" She screamed at him. "I'll find my own way out!" She stomped off angrily.

"Chiriko wait! I'm sorry!" He went after her.

"Leave me a---OW!" She tripped on a large rock and hit the floor. Before she could get up, the floor cracked and she fell through. Her scream echoed as she fell.

"Chiriko!!!" He just managed to see her disappear down the dark shoot. "So much for her cave explanation…" And with out another thought, he jumped down after her.

Chiriko hit the ground with an incredibly loud thud. Something also cracked underneath her. She groaned in pain and tried to push herself up. "Damn…my leg…"

A few seconds later, Tomo came shooting into the room. The floor made the same unnerving crackling noise.

"Fancy seeing you down here." He grinned.

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Did you come all the way down here just to see me?" But her smile quickly faded when her hand rested on something hard and a little wet.

"What th…GROSS!" She jumped up as best she could. She felt something slither over her foot. "B-b-bones and snakes!"

Tomo jumped up, his back to Chiriko's. "Oh Seiryuu…I hate snakes…"

"I'm more worried about what made the bones…" She groped around for his hand. Once she found it, she gripped it tightly. He said nothing, just held on as tightly as she did. "I wanna go home now…"

Tomo was quiet for a moment. Suddenly he saw 4 glowing red eyes, "Ummmm…Chiriko?"

"Yeah?" She nervously turned in the direction he was looking.

His lip twitched a bit. "I don't suppose you know that that is…do you?" He pointed at the eyes.

She shook her head. Tomo was too terrified to move. Neither made a sound, but they were both sure the creature in the shadows could hear them anyway. Tomo felt his heart in his throat and tried to swallow it.

"Uh…This might be a bad time but I'm pretty much useless in battles…I'm really just the smart one…" As she tried to move as slowly as possible, she stepped on a particularly weak bone and broke it with a deafening crack.

The monster came flying at them out of the shadows. It looked like a strange cross between a bear and a spider. It was about 3 meters tall and had at least 4 arms, possibly more. The roar it made was unlike anything they'd ever heard before. It lunged at Chiriko.

She screamed and tried to run as best she could on a bad leg but she didn't make it that far before her leg gave out and she fell.

The monster was about to kill her when Tomo grabbed the closest bone and whipped it at the things head. "Come on, ugly! Over here!"

"Tomo! What the hell are you doing?! You're gonna get killed!" Chiriko pulled herself up and started after him.

"Chiriko, just go! Find a way out!" Tomo jumped from place to place, desperately trying to distract it.

"I don't know if there is a way out!" She frantically looked around the cavern but couldn't see anything.

"Fine. We'll let this thing lead up out. Get up against the wall." She didn't know what he was planning, but complied. He cast illusions of the wall over the two of them and made them seem invisible. The creature growled and looked around, confused that its dinner and dessert had suddenly gone missing. It ran out of the cavern, thinking they had escaped.

Once the thing was gone, Tomo dropped the illusions. "Come on, let's go." He began to walk in the direction the creature had gone.

Chiriko was silent for a moment. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" A panicked expression appeared on his face.

"I can't walk. That fall really messed up my ankle." She whispered, on the verge of tears.

Tomo walked over to her. "Is it broken?"

"I think so." Tomo sighed and picked her up. "Wh-what are you doing?" She squeaked.

"Either we both get out or neither of us do. I can't leave without you." He began walking, careful to avoid any more bones on the floor.

Chiriko blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm just going to slow you down…"

"We're supposed to be working together. Friends don't leave friends behind."

Chiriko looked up at his face. He wasn't looking at her. He just looked very determined to get them both out safely. She just curled up in his arms and stayed silent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ummm…hi…I'm back. Jeez…it's been like two months I know…but my teachers always get really stupid at the end of the year. Suddenly the light bulb comes on and they realize we have 2 weeks of school left and 13 chapters in the book to get through. So yeah…I was really swamped and that brought on the worst case of writers' block ever. I wouldn't blame you guys for being mad if you are. But summer's here now and I can get back to work if you guys want me to.

Shadow Hawk


	18. One Side of the Island

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 18: One Side of the Island**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

-Conversations between twins-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomo ran as fast as he could, though he really had no idea where he was going. Chiriko clung to him crying, partially in pain, partially in fear. He paused for a moment trying to gain some sort of bearing in the almost pitch black cave.

"Tomo, do you know where you're going?" He could feel her gripping tightly to his shirt.

"Anywhere those things aren't."

"We're really in trouble now…"

"Shhh." Tomo suddenly slid into a small hole in the wall. He shifted one stone and it provided a decent amount of cover. "We'll hide here…"

"They'll find us…"

"No. Now be quiet." He hissed and looked out the small window. He created another illusion of himself and Chiriko for the monsters to follow. Chiriko huddled up in a ball and hiccupped a few times in between her sobs. "Stop that. We'll get out of here. But if they hear you, we'll be trapped."

Chiriko did her best to control herself, but it wasn't helping. She was too scared. She shook her head and cried more. "I can't stop. I'm sorry Tomo, I'm gonna get us killed…"

Tomo sighed and backed away from the window. He huddled close to her. "Hold your breath."

"What?" She stared at him confused.

"Hold your breath." He said again. She barely got in a breath when he grabbed her chin and pressed his lips against hers. Her body went rigid and her eyes widened, but she didn't move. She saw him close his eyes and pull her closer.

The ground began to shake as a group of the strange bear creatures stampeded past their hiding place.

After the stampede passed, she looked at him with wide eyes and a flushed face. "Wh-why did you…?"

 "I had to shut you up somehow. Now shhh." He muttered harshly. Chiriko nodded silently and just stared at him. As soon as he was sure the last one was gone, he moved the rock and climbed out. "Gimme your hand and stay quiet." She let him pull her out and cradle her again.

Chiriko tried to push his kiss out of her mind. '_Just trying to shut me up. Right. No big deal. I was making a lot of noise…and it's not like he cares about me. It was purely to save our butts.' _ She looked forward, trying not to think about him. "Hey, look! A hole!" She pointed to a faint glimmer of light above them, just big enough for a person.

"Well, hopefully it leads somewhere above ground. Can you pull yourself up if I push you most of the way?"

"Yeah…I should be able to." With his help, she managed to drag herself up and out of the hole. She laid on the ground quietly until Tomo popped up out of the hole. He rolled a large nearby rock in front of it to cover their escape.

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Never thought I'd be this happy to be outside."

"Yeah…I'll say." Chiriko managed a small smile. "Anyway, I think I can manage from here." She started to get up.

 "Don't. If your ankle is broken, you'll only make it worse. You ougta know that." He snorted.

She glared at him. "I'm not a child you know." _'Not even out of there for one minute and he's the old Tomo…'_

"I know. You're too heavy to be a kid." He smirked. "But you're acting like one."

"Then I'll walk!" She growled and made another attempt to get up.

"Seriously Chiriko, stop it! Don't put stress on your ankle!" He held her on the ground.

 She stopped struggling and turned away from him. "Like you care."

 "Just be quiet and stay here for a minute." He scowled. "I'm going to look and see if there are any close towns around."

 Her glare softened a little. "Thanks Tomo…for…you know."

He smiled. "You're welcome." He walked out of view.

As soon as he was gone, she smiled. "I guess he's not so bad…sometimes anyway."

Something rattled in the bushes. Chiriko jerked around. "What was that?" She scooted away from the bush when it rattled again. "Stop it, you jackass!" She yelled, thinking it was Tomo. "You're not funny!"

Tomo made his way to the edge of the small forest they were in. At the bottom of a long but not steep hill was a small town. "Better go get Chiriko…" As he tuned around, he heard a scream. "Chiriko!" He hissed and ran back to where he left her.

He could see her being dragged up by a taller, stronger man. "Hey! Let her go!" He yelled as he came into the small clearing.

The man holding Chiriko looked at him. "You're in no position to make demands, little man."

"Huh?" Two more men grabbed him by the arms. "Hey! What the hell?!"

"You two are trespassers here. So we'll just kill you and have fun with your wife later." He laughed.

Chiriko fumed. "I am NOT his wife! Don't you dare call me that!" She hit the man as hard as she could.

"She's not my wife, but if you hurt her, I'll rip your throat out!" Chiriko saw a fire in his eyes she'd never seen before.

His hand was near another knife in his belt. "Who are you? You better not lie."

"Let her go first."

The boss nodded to one of the men holding Chiriko. He put a knife up against Tomo's throat. "I said, you're in no position for demands, boy."

Chiriko let out a whimper. Tomo smiled. "It's okay. Everything will be fine." She gave him a confused stare. She had no idea what he was doing but she had to trust _he_ knew what he was doing.

"What makes you think everything is fine? You're about to die."

Tomo smirked. "Seiryuu wouldn't be happy if you killed me."

Their captors exchanged glances. "What 're you talkin' 'bout?" The man with the knife asked.

Tomo pulled his right arm free of their hold and managed to pull up the right side of his shirt. The bight blue _Ti_ symbol flashed brightly. The men all fell back stunned when they realized who Tomo was. "Yeah, that's right. Back off." He walked over to Chiriko. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "You scared the crap out of me you moron." She lightly hit him.

"It worked, didn't it?" He grinned and rubbed his neck. He then looked at the hunters. "As for you three…"

"We're sorry, Lord Tomo. We didn't know it was you. And we don't know who the woman is so…"

Chiriko was about to tell them who she was when Tomo held up his hand for her to be quiet. She was about to object when she realized it was best for him to deal with the people since he had a lot of authority. "Who she is is of no concern to you. All you need to know is that she's important to my current mission and to me. Her ankle is broken from a fall we had in an underground cave. Do you have a doctor around?"

They stared at each other again. "Underground cave?…The bug-bears?…But how?…" The leader looked at him. "Sir…you were in the bug-bear cave and got out alive with a wounded girl?"

Chiriko and Tomo stared at each other. "Yeah. We fell in and managed to climb out. But she needs a doctor, now." Tomo picked Chiriko up again. She made no argument.

"We have a doctor in the village. Sir, we can take her there for you."

"No that's okay. I'll carry her. You tried to kill her." Tomo protectively hugged Chiriko closer. He leaned his head close to her ear. "Let's do our best to hide who you really are, okay?" She nodded.

----------------------------

"Has anyone seen Chiriko or Tomo?" Miboshi looked around. "I thought they would have caught up by now…"

"Do you think they're in trouble?" Amiboshi looked around, realizing he hadn't heard them yelling in some time.

"Tomo probably said something stupid to her after she fell." Ashitare rolled his eyes. "He's one of the most tactless people around."

"So where do you think they went?" Piao asked.

"Can you find them Chichiri?" Nuriko looked at the oldest seishi.

"I can try to find Chiriko. I'm not familiar enough with Tomo to search for him. Give me a minute." Everyone stopped. Chichiri closed her eyes, trying to sense the other seishi. After a dead silence Chichiri opened her eyes and sighed. "About the best I can get is that they…well, Chiriko at least, are north of us. Chiriko's too angry or to panicked, I can't tell, for me to pinpoint her exactly. But she isn't too far, I don't think."

"Should we go after them then? Maybe they found something important." Miboshi shrugged.

"Might as well. We've got to search villages anyway to see if anyone has information about that chant you were talking about." Chichiri looked to the north. "Maybe they stumbled onto something."

----------------------------

Chiriko spent the walk to town in deep thought. _'What is with him today? He yells at me, saves my life in a cave, yells at me again then tells a bunch of hunters that _'I'm important to his current mission _and_ to him.' _And now he's all about protecting me here._ _I mean, what is that? Does he care or not?'_ She paid no attention to where she was until she felt Tomo put her on a bed.

"So what's the trouble with you wife here, my Lord?" An old man came into the room a few moments later. "Pregnant?"

Tomo groaned. "She's not my wife. She's a…a friend…and her ankle might be broken. Can you help her?"

"Well o' course. I can." He smiled. "If you'd just be so kind, Miss, as to take off your shoe and put you foot up."

Chiriko carefully pulled off her right shoe and sock. She gasped in horror when she saw her symbol glowing on her foot. Tomo bit his lip so hard he cut himself. The doctor backed away. "You…you're a Suza--"

Tomo grabbed the doctor as he was about to go for the door. "Wait. Please listen. There's a very good reason why she's here."

The doctor looked at Chiriko, who was trying to hide her foot with a blanket. "This should be interesting."

Tomo took a deep breath. "Yes, she is a Suzaku seishi. Her name is Chiriko. The reason I'm with her is because we're allied with them against a very large common enemy."

"What enemy could be so dangerous that would make Lady Nakago stoop to join forces with them? In all my years I've never heard something so…"

"Naraku." Chiriko interrupted. The old man looked at her and paled. "Judging by the look on your face, I'd say you've heard of her."

"Is she telling the truth, my lord?" The doctor looked at Tomo.

Tomo nodded. "Naraku has both our priestesses. We're here looking for a way to free them. If we don't work together…well…that's the end now isn't it?" He looked at Chiriko. "So are you gonna help her now or what?"

"Yes sir…of course. I had no idea the situation was so bad." He sat back down and got to work setting Chiriko's ankle. A little while, the doctor had Chiriko's ankle fixed into a splint and they told him the story of the cave. "Try to keep off it but if you absolutely have to walk, use crutches." He motioned for Tomo to grab a pair resting on the wall.

"So what do you charge, doc?" Tomo reached for his belt pouch.

"No, no. I couldn't take money from two seishi at a time like this. Just go save the world or what not." He smiled. "It's getting late. You two should go get some rest. You've had quite a day."

"Thank you sir." Tomo helped Chiriko to her feet and they left the doctor's house.

"Well that was nice of him. Even after he backed away from me like I had a plague…"

"Can you blame him? These people don't know what's going on."

"I know. But it's still really hard for me to be here. Do you know how hard it is for me to be quiet about who I am?"

"I can imagine." Tomo smirked.

"You jerk!" She whacked him in the back of the leg with one of the crutches.

"Ow! Hey! You want me to go down too now?" He limped for another couple of steps then got back on his feet.

"It would make me feel better." She muttered. "It's very embarrassing to be carried around by you everywhere. Thank goodness that doctor had crutches."

They went into the small inn. A girl around Chiriko's age was at the reception. "A room for you and your lady, Lord Tomo?"

Chiriko wanted to scream at the girl but once again, Tomo stopped her. "Yes. You wouldn't happen to have a room with two beds, would you? We're currently having a fight…" He said through his teeth and glared at the fuming Chiriko.

"I'm sorry sir. All the rooms with two beds are filled. We do have a room with a very large bed in it. You could sleep on opposite sides. It's down at the end of the hall."

"That'll be fine." Tomo hurried Chiriko down the hall to the open room.

As soon as Tomo closed the door, Chiriko turned on him. "What the hell do you think you're doing telling that girl we're married?!"

"Look, no matter what I say, this whole town already thinks were married. And even if I convince them we aren't they'll probably think we're sleeping together anyway since we're alone and together!"

"Oh fantastic! I get to pretend to be your wife or your whore! How will I ever choose?"

"I am _trying_ to protect you! You think you could get a whole big group of them to stop and listen to you if you told them who you are? Do you?" His gray eyes flashed angrily. "Well?"

Chiriko desperately wanted to say something, but she knew she couldn't. He was right. He was the reason she was safe. Without him, she probably would have been dead by now. She sighed. "Okay…okay…you're right…you are the only reason I'm safe here. I'm sorry…darling…" She said the last word with a smirk.

Tomo nearly burst out laughing. "Oh jeez…even if we are faking marriage don't call me that. I'll never keep a straight face."

Chiriko smiled. "So anyway…the bed…" She looked over at the bed. "It is big enough for two…"

"I can sleep on the floor."

"The floor? Are you sure?"

"I've slept on worse. And I move in my sleep a lot. I might hit your leg."

"If you're totally sure…"

"Yeah." He grabbed a few sheets and a pillow off the bed and tossed them on the floor. "I'm gonna go look for some food. You want anything?"

"No…I'm fine. Thanks."

"Okay. Be right back."

Tomo returned in a few minutes after finding some fruit in the kitchen. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see that the blankets he tossed off the bed had been made into a comfortable little makeshift bed on the floor. He looked over at Chiriko, who was already asleep. "Thanks Chiriko." He smiled and climbed into the makeshift bed.

Sometime during the night, there was a thunderstorm. Chiriko was curled up in bed, trying to block out the thunder. Just when she was almost asleep, the brightest flash of lighting and loudest crash of thunder went off. She screamed and pulled the covers over her head. Tomo sat bolt up right on the floor.

"Chiriko?!" He saw a shaking lump on the bed. "Chiriko? Are you okay?" He reached over and poked the blankets. She scooted away. "Chiriko?"

She poked her head out. "Did I wake you up? Sorry…didn't mean to…"

"Are…are you afraid of the storm?" A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"No. What makes you think that?" She squealed at another thunder crash. "Okay…maybe that…"

"How long have you been up?"

"Long enough."

"Why are you scared?"

"Because whenever there's a storm, I remember the time my parents left me alone in a storm and I got really freaked out…"

"You're not alone now." Tomo got off the floor and went to the window. "It's not really that bad with someone around is it?"

"I…I guess not…" She sat up and stared at him. "Tomo?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering…umm…"

"Yeah?" He looked over at her.

"Nothing. Never mind…" She blushed a little. "I guess it really isn't that bad."

They stared at each other in silence for a time. "You should get some sleep." He walked back to the bed and pulled the covers over her. As he let go her hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve. "What?"

"Stay?"

"What?"

"Will you stay? The storm still freaks me out and I feel bad about you sleeping on the floor."

"I told you it's no problem." He tried to shrug her off.

"Please?" During the next lightning strike, he saw the pleading look on her face.

"Okay, okay…I'll stay." He slipped into bed next to her.

As lay in bed, listening to the rain, she felt Tomo's breath on the back of her neck. She turned over and watched him sleeping peacefully next to her._ 'He's pretty cute when he's asleep…NO! I can't think that! He's a Seiryuu seishi and I'm a Suzaku seishi…'_ When the thunder crashed again, she scooted closer to him, hoping he was completely asleep so he wouldn't notice. Tomo shifted a little and draped his arm over Chiriko. She blushed even though his arm was on top of the covers. _'I could have sworn he didn't care at all…'_

----------------------------

Amiboshi sat by a window, playing his flute in the small inn of a nearby village. They were happy to find a village before the storm broke the previous night.

Ashitare stuck his head in Amiboshi's room. "Hey flute boy, we're pretty sure we've found 'em. Get yer crap together and let's go."

Amiboshi hit a sour note when Ashitare called him flute boy. "Would it kill you to wait until I was done?"

"Would it kill you to wait until everyone is up to start playing? You're music really sucks when you have to wake up to it in wolf form." He rubbed his ear. "And watch those bad notes. My ears are sensitive." His head disappeared from view.

Amiboshi had to swallow the urge to play badly just to make Ashitare mad. He put away his flute and picked up his pack. The others were waiting outside.

"So where are we going now?"

"A fishing village a small ways from here. If we hurry we can make it there in a few hours." Chichiri hauled her bag over her shoulder and lead the way.

They got to the village in the early afternoon. Miboshi smiled when she saw the small village. "I know this place…"

"You do?" Nuriko asked.

"Barely…but yes…my grandparents used to live here. I think I've only been here a couple of times, but it is familiar." She looked around at some of the buildings. "If they are here, they're probably in the inn." Miboshi headed towards the small inn.

The same girl that Tomo and Chiriko met was at the desk again. "Hello can I help you?"

"My name is Miboshi. I was wondering if there was a man named Tomo here."

"Miboshi? Um, yes. Tomo and his wife are down at the end of the hall. If I may ask, why are the Seiryuu seishi here? This is just a small island…"

Miboshi almost choked on the words 'his wife.' Then she thought to herself that Tomo and Chiriko were probably just pretending. _'I hope anyway…'_ "We're looking for the village where an evil spirit came from…she stole the soul of our priestess as well as the priestess of Suzaku.

The girl stared wide-eyed at Miboshi. "R…really?"

Miboshi nodded. "I'll just be getting Tomo then…" She walked down the hall to the room the girl pointed to. She knocked. "Tomo? Are you up?" There was no answer so she knocked again. "Tomo?"

"What? Not there?" Nuriko was the first of the rest of the group to join Miboshi.

"I don't know…they aren't answering…" She knocked again. "I hope they aren't gone already."

"Let me try." Miboshi was about to object to him knocking, knowing he'd probably knock the door but it was too late. One hit and the door came right off the hinges and fell over.

"Did you have to do that?" She looked up at him.

"Ummm…oops?" He grinned. "Forgot again."

Tomo and Chiriko woke up when the door hit the floor. "What the hell?!" Tomo stared wide-eyed at the door.

"Miboshi! Nuriko!" Chiriko blushed when she saw the two seishi standing in the doorway, looking at her and Tomo in bed together. "Nothing happened!"

"Good morning to you too." Miboshi laughed.

"And here we thought you two might be in trouble." Nuriko laughed.

"Shut up Nuriko!"

"Oh jeez…" Tomo growled and got out of bed. "Wanna fix the door now that you've woken up half the village?"

"Sounds like someone didn't sleep much." Miboshi giggled.

"It's not like that!" Chiriko sqeaked.

"And that's why you told that girl you were married?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I told you that was a bad idea!" Chiriko whacked his arm. "It was all his idea!"

"Why am I getting blamed for all this?!"

"Never mind all that. Unless you two have found out anything about Naraku, we've wasted enough time here. Hurry up and get dressed." Nuriko picked up the door and set it back up.

"Well…I can't exactly hurry anywhere." Chiriko climbed out of bed and hopped over to show off her bandaged ankle. "I broke it in a fall after I fell down the hill."

"That was a while ago." Nuriko remarked. "How'd you get around?" Chiriko blushed deeply and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"I carried her around!" Tomo blurted out. Then he clamped his hand over his mouth and blushed. "Oops…" Chiriko turned even redder.

Miboshi started laughing. "I'm sure that was quite a sight. Now come on. We need to find Amiboshi and Chichiri. You should go see Mitsukake if you can."

"Okay, okay. Lemme go get dressed." Chiriko grabbed the crutches by the bed and hobbled into the small washroom with her clothes.

"If you need some help, I'm sure Tomo'd be willing." Nuriko laughed.

Tomo scowled and stomped out of the room with his clothes.

"Nuriko, you're horrible." Miboshi shook her head and smiled. "We'll be waiting outside." She called to Chiriko and dragged Nuriko back outside with her.

"Are they in there?" Ashitare asked when they appeared.

"Yeah. We caught them sleeping together." Nuriko smirked.

Chichiri raised an eyebrow. "They were what?!"

Miboshi whacked Nuriko in the arm. "They were sleeping in the same bed. Not the same thing." She crossed her arms. "Quit being perverted Nuriko."

"I was not being perverted. Chichiri was. She twisted my words."

----------------------------

An Hua walked along the deck with Hime weaving around her feet. "Hime, do you think Ni-chan will come back soon? It's so boring without them here."

Hime looked up at her and meowed.

"I knew you were gonna do that." She picked up Hime and started walking back to the priestesses' room. "Come on. Let's see how Kohana and Momo-ne-chan are." An opened the door and went inside.

The two girls looked at though they were in a deep sleep. "What do you think they're thinkin' 'bout?" An sat next to Kohana not noticing a gray mist swirling around her feet.

"They're probably wondering when they'll be free." An unknown female voice answered her.

An looked up and almost screamed. A woman, probably no older than Tasuki, with long black hair and green eyes looked sadly at the priestesses. "Wh-who are you?!"

"I'm not an enemy An. Don't be afraid." The woman held out her hand.

An took a deep breath but didn't move. "I didn't ask who you weren't. I asked who you are." She stepped in between the woman and the priestesses.

"I'm Naraku's sister." She answered calmly.

An stared at her for a long time. "You do look a lot like Piao-ne-chan…what are you doing here?"

"You looked like you needed some company."

"Why aren't you helping Ni-chan and the others beat her?"

"I'm not strong enough for that…I've been dead for a long time and a cat for the past 10 years. I wish I could help fight my sister, but I'm afraid she could beat me very easily now."

"A cat? Hime?" She looked around the room and saw that Kohana's cat was gone.

She nodded. "Hime is the name Kohana gave me years ago. Just as well. I don't remember my name anymore."

"Where's that guy? The one you were supposed to marry but didn't cause of your sister?"

"I don't know where he is. I don't know if I'll ever get to see him again…maybe after Naraku is gone we can have some peace…"

"Have you been looking for her all these years?"

"Not looking so much as waiting. I knew she'd come back someday. Naraku won't stop trying to destroy the world until she either does it or someone actually destroys her. My fiancé and I didn't have the power. But now, with so many people around and two gods behind them, I believe this is Naraku's last stand."

"An, who are you talking to in here?" Suddenly the door opened and Ryuuchi looked in. "I heard voices."

An looked over to where the human Hime had been. The cat was once again sitting on the floor, licking her paw. "Just the cat." She smiled.

He smiled a little. He felt bad, thinking she was all alone on the ship. "Come on An. Lunch is ready."

"Kay." An scooped up Hime and left the room with Ryuuchi.

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Well…that chapter was like completely Chiriko and Tomo wasn't it? Didn't really mean for it to go that way. Well, the next chapter will focus on the other group. Promise.

And one of these days I should be getting a new story picture from Aiko. Wink wink Nudge nudge So check my bio page every couple of days. Once I get it, it'll be added to the list there. I'm not gonna put art work lists in chapters anymore, there will just be a permanent list on my bio.

Shadow Hawk


	19. The Ties That Bind

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 19: The Ties That Bind**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

**Flashbacks**

-Conversations between twins-

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Shen sat quietly staring into the fire long after everyone had gone to sleep.

"Shen, are you okay?" Tasuki's voice jolted him from him thoughts. "Have you been up this whole time? Everybody's been asleep for a while."

"I've been thinking." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"You've been thinking an awful long time. Worried about Piao?" She sat on a tree stump across the fire from him.

He shook his head. "No…I know she can take care of herself. And it's not like she's alone. I'm more worried about…" He motioned with his head to Tamahome's tent. "You know…"

"Oh that…yeah…" Tasuki made a face.

"I don't like the way he glared daggers at Hotohori when he's not looking. Or even if he _is_ looking…" Shen sighed.

"Can't say I trust him either…Mitsukake was telling me about something he overheard just before he met Kohana and Tamahome."

"What?" Shen stared at her through the fire. "What the hell did he say?"

"He said Tamahome threatened her and Hotohori…that she'd be sorry she chose Hotohori over him."

Tasuki's eyes narrowed. "He's insane, I swear…something in him has cracked."

"Wouldn't surprise me…"

"Think Mitsukake's got anything that would make him lose his memory? He'd be a lot easier to deal with if he was doped up." Tasuki asked with a slight amount of hope in her voice.

"I think if he had something like that, it would already be in him." Shen shook his head. "It isn't safe to have him around Hotohori."

"I'm worried about Naraku using him. I certainly wouldn't put it past the old bitch. She could probably trick him into helping her." Tasuki crossed her arms.

"Shut up. You'll give her ideas."

"I'm going back to bed. Night." Tasuki got up and walked back to her tent.

"Night." Shen rubbed his temples and continued to stare at the fire. He and Hotohori had been very good friends since Shen had come to the capital. Their friendship was more than just as emperor and guard. He couldn't believe this was happening now.

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After a week's worth of traveling turned up no information about Naraku, the group of eight stopped off in a remote village to rest. During breakfast the next morning, Tasuki quietly watched Nakago eat. Something seemed strange about the general, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hey, somethin' wrong?" Suboshi nudged Tasuki's arm while he ate.

"Suboshi…how much does Nakago usually eat?" Tasuki was staring at the two empty plates in front of Nakago and the third one she was working on. She was eating at a calm, steady pace. Tasuki also noticed that even Soi looked a little surprised.

He shrugged. "Enough. She's usually pretty careful about what she eats."

"Don't you think she's eaten a bit…well…a lot?"

Suboshi looked over at Nakago and for the first time noticed at the plates. "Well…I guess it is a lot…but we have been eating dried travel food for the past week. Maybe she's grateful for some real food. I know I am." He shoved the last bit of food from his fourth plate in his mouth.

"Yeah well, you're a teenage guy. You're supposed to eat like a pig." Tasuki smirked.

"I do not eat like a pig!" Suboshi looked rather indignant.

"Yeah you do." Tasuki finished off her food. "I'm gonna go pack up my stuff." Tasuki excused herself from the table and went back to the room she had shared with Nakago.

A few minutes later she heard the door open again and Nakago's boots clicked across the floor.

Tasuki scoffed a little. "Let's hope we don't have to sneak up on Naraku anywhere. She could probably hear those from a mile away."

Nakago rolled her eyes. "Your concern is noted."

Tasuki ran her fingers through her wavy sea green hair. "I feel honored."

"Are you always this sarcastic this early in the morning?"

"Do you always stuff yourself this early in the morning?" Tasuki shot back.

Nakago whirled on the other female seishi. "Just what are you insinuating?"

"What do you think I'm insinuating?" Tasuki narrowed her eyes.

"I'm surprised you know what the word means."

"Maybe I am just a pirate, but I am sure as hell not an idiot!" Tasuki growled. "I'll thank you not to treat me as such."

The two women stood in silence glaring at each other for what felt like an eternity.

"I'm surprised you have the guts to stand up to me."

"I'm not afraid of you. You may thrive on other people's fear of you, but you won't have mine. I'm not afraid of the poor little tortured general who hides her own fears by causing fear in others!" Tasuki held her chin high.

Nakago grabbed Tasuki's shirt and dragged her closer. "If it weren't for Naraku, you'd be dead right now. Be glad she's around. Don't pretend to know about my life." She hissed through her teeth.

"I don't. What I do know is that as seishi, our lives suck pure and simple." Tasuki pulled herself out of Nakago's grip, tearing her shirt in the process. "You lost your parents when you were a kid? Well, guess what? Most of us have! Out of 14 seishi, Chiriko is the only one who still has parents to speak of and she doesn't even get along with them!"

"It was more than losing my parents! You know nothing of my life!"

"And you know nothing of mine!" Tasuki screamed at her. "I ran away from home when I was 10 because if I had stayed around, I would have been married to some 40-something-year old fat abusive bastard by the time I was 13! I have no idea what going on with the rest of my family either. They could all be dead for all I know!" Tasuki then slapped Nakago across the face. "If you took one minute to stop your own pity parade and listen to some other people's stories, maybe you'd see that we're not so different from you!"

A deafening silence fell over the room. Nakago stared at the younger woman in shock. Tasuki stared back, wondering if she was going to die within the next few seconds. But she didn't have to wonder about that for long.

Just when Tasuki though Nakago was going to pull out her sword and chop her head off, she suddenly clutched at her stomach and fell to her knees. Nakago let out a small whimper.

Thinking Nakago wasn't being serious, Tasuki put her hands on her hips. "What is this Nakago? Start losing an argument so you pretend to be sick?" But Nakago didn't move. Her head hung forward and her whole body shook. Tasuki realized she wasn't faking anything and knelt next to her. "Nakago? What's wrong?"

Nakago sucked in a breath through her teeth. "N-nothing…" She stammered.

"This isn't 'nothing'…you look sick. I'm going to go get Mitsukake." She started to get up.

"No." Nakago grabbed her arm. "I'm fine…it's probably that time of month…or maybe I did eat too much. Don't bother the doctor…"

"Wait a minute…" _'Being moody…eating a lot…sudden cramps…' _ "Nakago…are…are you pregnant?"

"What?" Nakago glared at her. "Of course not!"

"Everyone knows you've been with Soi at least once. That's all you need." Tasuki protested.

"I'm not pregnant Tasuki. Get that thought out of your head." The nausea passed and Nakago got back onto her feet.

Tasuki stood up. "Think about it Nakago. You're moodier than usually and you ate almost as much as Suboshi this morning! Now this! I think there's a good chance you are!"

"I. Am. Not. Pregnant." Nakago picked up her bag. "And don't you dare breathe a word of this conversation to the others. I'd deny it anyway."

She left Tasuki standing alone in the room. Tasuki ran her hands about half way through her hair and pulled it. "Man…what the hell is going on? I don't believe this shit…" She angrily picked up her stuff and walked out of her room.

"Something wrong, Tasuki?" She turned around to see Soi walking behind her.

Tasuki took a deep breath. "Nakago…ah…she and I got into an argument…that's all…" She shook her head.

"I could hear you down the hall." He chuckled.

"You didn't hear what we were screaming about did you?"

"Nah. Too muffled. Suboshi figured you were arguing over the mirror."

"The mirror…" She laughed a little. "Too bad it's not that simple…"

"So what were you arguing about then?"

"Nothing really…you know…she's unhappy about having to deal with me…"

"She'll warm up to you eventually."

"As long as it's not the way she warmed up to you, fine." Tasuki smirked and slung her bag over her shoulder.

Soi laughed. "So everyone knows about that huh?"

"Hell yeah…" Tasuki thought for a moment. "Hey Soi…"

"Yeah?"

"Don't mention this to Nakago, but while we're out here, keep a close eye on her, will you?"

"Why? Is something wrong?" Soi looked concerned.

"She was acting a little funny while we were arguing…"

"Funny? What do you mean 'funny'?"

"Look, if you really love her, and the gods only know why you do, just look after her."

"Well, okay…" Soi was confused, but he did love Nakago so he'd do as Tasuki asked.

"Well, we got a busy day ahead of us so no use wasting more time here." Tasuki nodded and walked off down the hall.

"Must be a woman thing…" Soi muttered to himself and walked after her.

----------------------------------

"Hey Momo, what cha doin'?" Kohana leaned over Momo's shoulder.

Momo was staring at a blue beaded bracelet on her wrist. "Nothing really…"

"Looks like you're trying to burn a hole in that." She looked at Momo's other wrist. It was bare. "Hey…weren't there two of those?"

"Yeah…I umm…let someone borrow one…"

"Here? You wouldn't let _Izanami_ borrow one and you let someone here borrow it? Who?"

"Su…Suboshi…" She turned red.

"Aw! That's adorable!" Kohana giggled.

"Shut up, will you?" Momo tried to be angry but she couldn't. She smiled.

---------------

**"Suboshi! Suboshi, wait!" Momo ran down the steps of the Kutou palace as he was leaving.**

**He stopped and turned to her. "What is it?"**

**After a moment to catch her breath, Momo held out one of her beaded bracelets. "I uh…ah…here. Take it."**

**He stared at the bracelet. "But Momo…you never take these off…why are you…?"**

**"It's not like you can _keep_ it…" She looked at the ground. "I want it back when you come back. But until then…just…just keep it…"**

**He smiled. "Thank you Momo." He slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. "I'll be back before you know it."**

**"Good…'cause I won't forgive you if you don't bring it back." She crossed her arms.**

**"I swear I'll be back soon. And you'll get this back before you know it." He embraced her for a moment. "Good bye for now Momo…"**

**She watched him go. She wanted to cry. She had a bad feeling about him leaving. "Dammit Suboshi…look what you made me do…" She wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. "You better come back…"**

---------------****

Kohana smiled. "So when do the Mini-Momos and Suboshis start appearing?"

"Around the same time Mini-Kohanas and Hotohoris show up." She stuck out her tongue at the other priestess.

"Momo! You're horrible!"

They both laughed. It was strange to laugh in such circumstances, but it showed Naraku that she still hadn't won.

----------------------------------

Another week of traveling had turned up nothing. But on the eighth day, they learned that Naraku had attacked a nearby village not even a few days ago. They hurried to the village and what they found wasn't pretty.

Not many people had died, only the ones that would have rather fought than let Naraku have free range in their village, but many of the buildings were decimated. Smoldering piles of rubble lined the streets instead of a marketplace.

Nakago scanned the area. "I don't understand…if Naraku has this kind of power, why hasn't she killed us?"

"She's probably enjoying toying with us." Hotohori turned a burnt piece of wood over with his foot. "She'd probably rather have us fear her than be dead."

"She was searching for something." A new voice entered the conversation. "Or perhaps someone…"

They all turned to see an older woman and a younger attendant behind them.

"Who are you? What do you know?" Tamahome asked.

The older woman took a few steps closer to them. "I am the village elder here. Rumors have been flying recently that whatever can defeat Naraku, or at the very least, weaken her, is in her home village. But she herself does not remember where she is from. She's looking for her own village. The pendant she wears lets her continue to exist, but it prevents her from remembering her life except for her defeat by her sister."

"Does anyone know where her village is?" Shen asked.

The old woman stepped closer to Shen, taking him along with everyone else off guard. "Who are you, boy? I can tell you are not a seishi…but you are still powerful…"

"I'm…my ancestor was the man who helped defeat Naraku…"

"So that is what I felt when you came here…" The old lady started to walk away. "Come on. Come with me." The seishi stared at each other, unsure what to do and what was going on. "I said let's go. We don't have all day and you people need direction."

One by one, the seishi began to follow the elder and her attendant. Tamahome stayed still. Hotohori looked at him. "Something wrong?"

"You talk like you don't know." Tamahome snarled at him. "Kohana is mine!"

"Kohana is not property! Don't treat her like she is!" Hotohori snapped, angry that Tamahome claimed to love her and still said such things about her.

"She only loves you because you're the emperor. You think she loves the real you?"

"If that was the case, which I don't believe it is, I wouldn't care. For whatever reason she chooses to walk with me, I'm grateful for it."

"You're full of it." Tamahome pulled a long knife out of his belt. "This ends now. Winner take all."

"I won't fight you Tamahome. We're seishi of the same god. We shouldn't be fighting." He made no move for his sword.

"Then you're going to die." Tamahome lunged at Hotohori, meaning to kill him in one strike. Hotohori sidestepped the stab, but still earned a deep gash in his left upper arm.

Tamahome laughed. "This will be easy."

A drop of blood slid off the edge of the blade and into a pool of water left by a recent storm.

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Momo sat counting the beads on her bracelet when suddenly she heard Kohana cry out in pain. Her head shot up and she saw Kohana slumped over clutching her left upper arm.

"Kohana! What's wrong?" Momo hurried over to the other girl.

"Hotohori's wounded…"

She pulled Kohana's fingers off her arm and gasped at the sight of a large gash and a lot of blood. "Hotohori's wounded? What about you?"

"I'm hurt because he is…a while ago, in order to save me, Hotohori gave me blood…now I guess…we're bound by that…someone's trying to kill him…"

"Naraku's demons?" Momo tied up her arm with a handkerchief from her pocket.

"I don't think so…" Kohana closed her eyes, trying to get a better feel for his situation. "I think it's another person…he's not fighting back…he refuses to…"

"But he could get killed! So could you if this keeps up! I didn't think we could be physically hurt here but I guess I was wrong…"

Kohana said nothing. She just stared at her arm. _'Oh Hotohori…please fight back…no matter how much you don't want to…if anything happens to you…I'd die from the grief…please…I have to see you again…'_

Momo stared at Kohana and held onto her bracelet. _'Suboshi…if you could hear me just once while I'm here in this forsaken abyss, let it be now…find Hotohori…something is horribly wrong…he's hurt…Kohana is too…please do something…'_

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Suboshi walked near the front of the group. He was wondering how long they'd have to walk when he felt a bolt of pain shoot up from his wrist and back down through his legs. He gasped and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Mitsukake was the first to offer help. "Suboshi, are you alright?" He helped him back to his feet.

Suboshi looked around, a bit dazed. "Where…where are Tamahome and Hotohori?"

Everyone looked around and neither man was around. Tasuki was the first one to take off. "Son of a bitch!"

The others quickly followed, though they couldn't keep up with Tasuki.

----------------------------------

"You'll have to try harder than that to kill me." Hotohori deflected another of Tamahome's vicious slashes.

"Well…what do you know? The romantic emperor does have a backbone." Tamahome wiped some blood off his lip. "I'd be happy to try harder."

"The only person you're hurting if you do that is Kohana."

"What the hell are you talking about? She's not even here."

"She's with all of us. Kohana and I share a blood bond. Her pain is mine. Mine is hers."

"Then maybe I should just be done with the both of you. No more pain period."

The fight had become more of a test of endurance than skill. The bright flashes of red earned them a small audience of confused townspeople. Unfortunately for Hotohori, Tamahome's powers gave him the advantage. Tamahome managed to catch Hotohori's arm and throw him to the ground.

"Looks like I'm the better warrior." Tamahome stood proudly above Hotohori.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Hotohori spoke evenly, despite his fear.

"This is the only way it has to be." He raised the knife above his head, ready to kill. The mark on Tamahome's forehead glowed blood red.

"Then do it." Hotohori held his chin up, symbol glowing bright red. "See if it really makes things any better."

"REKKA SHIN'EN!!!"

Before Tamahome could even begin to begin the downward strike, Tasuki's voice rang out and a stream of flames engulfed most of his arm, severely burning him and reducing the knife to a smoldering lump of metal.

Hotohori looked to where the flames came from and saw nothing. When he looked back to where Tamahome was standing, Shen had him pinned down, right knee on his chest, left foot on good his arm and holding a knife of his own against Tamahome's throat.

"What do you think you're doing, you worthless son of a bitch?!" He pressed the knife down slightly harder.

"Shen, don't." Hotohori forced himself to get up.

Tasuki leapt down from her rooftop perch. "How can you say that Hotohori? He tried to kill you!" She let him lean on her.

"Killing him won't solve anything." Hotohori looked at the other seishi. Tamahome was in too much pain to say anything. "He's still a seishi…"

Shen looked at him in disbelief. "Sometimes I wonder if you are too kind."

"I gotta agree with him, Hotohori. He'll probably try again…" Tasuki slid her weapon into its sheath on her hip.

"I don't doubt it…but we still need him…"

Shen sighed. He put away his knife but punched Tamahome in the head as hard as he could. Tamahome was now out cold. Shen got up. "I think it's more than he deserves…"

By now everyone had found the small battleground. Mitsukake looked at the two battered seishi. He walked over to Hotohori and held his hand out over him. "What happened here?"

"Tamahome wanted to settle things…" He stood up straight up after Mitsukake finished his job. "I think they are for now. How did you find us? You didn't notice when we stopped…"

Soi nodded at Suboshi. "Thank him. He's the one that noticed you two were gone."

Suboshi stared at the ground. "Momo told me something was wrong…"

"She what?" Nakago raised an eyebrow.

Suboshi pushed up his sleeve, revealing the bracelet. "Momo gave this to me before I left for Konan…while we were walking, it felt like someone shoved pins in my wrist around the bracelet. The pain kinda shot through my whole body and I heard Momo ask me to find Hotohori because something was wrong…I don't know how she could have known though…"

Hotohori sighed. "Kohana knew…we share a lot, including pain…wherever they are, Kohana knows what happens to me."

"Is she alright now that you are?" Shen asked.

Hotohori nodded. "She's fine now."

"Trouble with a comrade, eh?" The village elder appeared again. "Well, bring him along and tell me what's happened. I'm sure we can come up with a solution."

Mitsukake and Soi hauled the unconscious Tamahome up and everyone followed the elder again.

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So was that better than the last chapter? I think it was but it's not like it's the greatest thing ever either…and I'm pretty sure the writers' block is now gone so I should be able to update at a semi-regular pace. I should be any way…

-Shadow Hawk


	20. Shattered Prison

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 20: Shattered Prison**

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

-Conversations between twins-

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"Well, well…imagine that…Seiryuu and Suzaku seishi working together…" The elder mused after hearing the seishis' tale. "Never thought I'd see the day…" She was mixing something in a bowl. "And fighting amongst the Suzaku seishi…"

Mitsukake was wrapping up the still unconscious Tamahome's arm. "Well, can you help us? We can't fight Naraku as long as Tamahome keeps trying to kill Hotohori."

"What do you think I'm mixing here?" She pulled some powder off a shelf and mixed it into the bowl. "Memory drugs. It won't last forever through. Eventually he will remember who he hates."

"Whatever you can do is enough." Hotohori spoke calmly. "What can you tell us about Naraku?"

"You're looking for a way to free your priestesses from her mirror, yes?" They nodded. "The spell needed for that is in one of the ancient spell books left by Naraku's sister. Supposedly those books were lost a century or so ago, but there are those who say the books still exist, kept safely hidden in her village." The elder took out a map and drew a circle. "This is the general area she lived in. Those books are somewhere around here…so legends say that is."

"Do we really want to work off a legend?" Soi raised an eyebrow.

"What other choice do we have?" Tasuki muttered. "Wander around this damn island or at least start with a basis."

"Suboshi." Nakago looked at the younger twin. "Get a hold of your brother and find out where they are. They're closer to that area than we are…and tell them what happened here…" She then looked over at Tamahome.

Suboshi nodded. "Okay…"

"And find out if Chiriko's been careful about where she falls." Mitsukake added. Earlier that week he couldn't believe it when Chichiri brought her to him and he found out she had managed to break her ankle so soon.

"Uh huh."

Tamahome then started to stir. Everyone fell silent. He groaned in pain when he tried to move his arm. "Wh-where am I?" As his vision cleared he saw a number of only vaguely familiar faces. "What's going on?"

"You had a run in with one of Naraku's demons, Tamahome." The elder stepped forward. "You're lucky your friends were around to help."

He closed his eyes, trying to remember what happened. His mind pieced together the image of Hotohori, Shen, Tasuki and him fighting a fire-breathing demon. "Right…I remember now…what happened to the demon?"

"Naraku called it off before we could kill it. But you and Hotohori weren't in any shape to fight anyway." Tasuki put his hand on his shoulder. "Mitsukake will fix you up in the morning."

He looked over at Nakago, Soi and Suboshi. "Why are they…?"

"Naraku has their priestess too, remember?" Hotohori said. "We'll be working together until we're rid of Naraku."

"Okay…I think I remember that part too…" He nodded. "So where are we going now?"

"We're headed northeast. Legends say that's where Naraku lived and died." Hotohori answered.

"Alright. Sounds good. Let's go." He sat up.

"You sure you don't want to wait until Mitsukake's powers are back?" Tasuki asked.

"It's my arm that's hurt. Not my legs. I can make it."

Tasuki shrugged. Suboshi looked up from his arm. "Amiboshi says they haven't found anything where they were so they'll just head straight for that northeast area…and Chiriko says you're being a jerk, Mitsukake." Suboshi rolled his eyes and held up his hand with Chiriko's message on it.

Mitsukake chuckled. "Had a feeling she would. Should we leave here then?"

"The less time wasted the better." Nakago was already headed for the door.

"Well, I wish all of you the best of luck. To be rid of Naraku would be a dream come true for this island." She looked over at Nakago. "Lady Nakago?"

"What?" She stopped for a brief moment.

"Take care of yourself."

Everyone stared at either Nakago or the elder. Nakago's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing ma'am. You can never be too careful around here." The elder smiled.

"Whatever." Nakago spun around and left the house.

Everyone stared at each other in confusion. Soi was the next one to leave the house. He followed Nakago. "Nakago?"

"What?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. Don't worry about it."

"Tasuki said you were acting funny awhile ago…"

"Funny?" Nakago tensed. "Funny how?"

"She didn't say. She seemed a little worried about you."

"Well, nothing's wrong. She's worried about nothing."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"If you say so…" By now everyone else had come out of the house. Soi let it go.

----------------------------------------

Ashitare was half sleep. Everyone else was sitting around the fire.

Miboshi leaned her head back on the log she was sitting against and sighed.

"Tired?" Nuriko sat down next to her.

"Bored." She looked up at him. "Ever since Chiriko's fall, nothing particularly interesting has happened."

"I'm not too upset nothing's happened. I figure everything's really gonna heat up once we find those spell books."

"I guess so." She swirled her finger in the dirt. "But even a little excitement wouldn't hurt."

"You sound like you prefer war to peace."

"War means I'm needed." She shrugged.

"Come on now. Don't be so depressing."

"I have a young woman without a family. Being a seishi is the only thing that saves me from living on the street, you know?" She brushed a short strand of hair behind her ear.

"Miboshi…" Nuriko wanted to say more, but he also knew she was right.

"Hey, I've learned to deal with it. Don't worry about it…"

"Tomo! Get yer ass outta my seat!" Chiriko shoved him to the side.

"I was not sitting in your seat!" He shoved back.

"Yes you were!" She growled at him. "Why'd you have to sit over here anyway?"

"There was no more room!" He snapped back.

Ashitare growled as he woke up. "You know, some of us are sick of your arguing. And it's late. Do you mind?"

"Shut up Ashitare. No one was talking to you." Tomo muttered.

Ashitare rolled his eyes. "I'm going to sleep now. If I wake up because of you two, you'll be lucky if you make it to those villages in one piece." He got up to go to the sleeping bags.

Suddenly Tomo wrapped his arm around Chiriko and pulled her close. Chiriko turned bright red. "TOMO! What the hell are you doing! Let go of me!"

All eyes turned to the couple. "I…I can't!" He squeaked out, embarrassed.

"What do you mean you can't?" She tried to shove him off but he held fast. Ashitare, Chichiri and Amiboshi couldn't help but laugh.

Nuriko looked over at Miboshi. She had a small smirk on her face. "Miboshi, what are you…?"

Tomo turned over to Miboshi. "Miboshi! You're doing this aren't you?" He glared at the mind controller

"But you two look so cute together. I thought I'd help out." She giggled.

"Miboshi! Make him let me go!" Chiriko's face was bright red.

Ashitare came back over to the fire. "You two don't look all that uncomfortable…"

"Didn't I say shut up?" Tomo hissed. "Miboshi, if you don't give me control of my body back I swear I'll…"

"You'll do what? You're stuck right now." She laughed.

"Please Miboshi! This is really embarrassing!" Chiriko tried to squirm away.

"Seems too cute to let it stop." Chichiri laughed.

Miboshi yawned. "Well, I'm getting too tired to keep this up so I guess I'll let you go." She waved her hand and Tomo pulled his arm away from Chiriko.

Chiriko scrambled to her feet and ran back to the sleeping bags. Tomo left almost as quickly. Amiboshi left next. "See you guys in the morning."

Ashitare, Piao and Chichiri went off to bed a few minutes later. Nuriko picked up a bucket and put the fire out. Miboshi stood up and started to walk away. "Good night Nuriko."

"Hey Miboshi?" He put the bucket down and followed her.

"Yeah?"

"How long exactly were you making Tomo hold onto Chiriko?"

She shrugged. "I dunno…a couple seconds maybe. He did most of it on his own."

Nuriko smiled. "Thought so."

She smiled. "We needed a little excitement."

He chuckled. "It was pretty funny." He climbed into his sleeping bag. "Night Miboshi."

----------------------------------------

It took a week for Chichiri's group to reach the group of villages so that they could regroup. Within the next week they went through about half the villages in the area. Upon reaching what seemed like the smallest village in the area, they were immediately greeted by the village elder and his attendants.

"Welcome everyone. We've been waiting for you, children." He was looking at Piao and Shen.

"You have?" Shen raised an eyebrow.

"Yes we have. Come in and we'll give you what you came here for." The elder turned around and walked into town.

Everyone looked at each other, confused as to how the elder could have known they were coming. They stood there for a moment. Piao was the first one to start walking.

Miboshi grabbed her arm. "Are you sure it's okay?"

She nodded. "It feels okay…"

"It…feels okay?" Chiriko looked to where the elder disappeared.

Piao nodded again. "If I could describe it, I would. But I can't really…"

Miboshi let go of her arm and let her walk. Shen walked next to her and everyone else walked behind them.

The elder's home was dimly lit. Wisps of smoke from incense seemed to loop around everything. In one corner of the house was a locked wooden chest. A bow and quiver of arrows leaned against the chest. The elder invited them to sit on mats around the room. They quietly arranged themselves in the large room.

"You've come for the spell books to fight Naraku, yes?" It wasn't really a question.

Shen nodded. "Are they really here?"

He looked to the wooden chest in the corner. "They're in that chest. The keys are gone but I'm sure one of you could open it up anyway."

"Is it…magically guarded?" Tamahome looked cautiously at the box.

"No…doesn't seem to be anyway."

Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Comforting." He got up and knelt next to the chest. "Here's hoping this doesn't blow up in my face." First he moved the bow and arrows. Then he held one hand on the front of the chest and yanked the lid up with the other. The lock cracked rather loudly. He held his breath for a moment, waiting to see if anything would backfire on him. When all remained silent, he fully opened the chest.

He stared at the books in the chest. Both were large black books imprinted with intricate patterns. Nuriko looked over at Piao and Shen. "Well, guess it's up to you two now."

As soon as Piao and Shen picked up the books an explosion rocked through the village. Everyone rushed to the windows and doors. Outside Naraku floated ominously above the town, with a small troupe of demons at her calling. People ran screaming from the area. As a young man ran passed the seishi, Naraku flung a fireball at him, reducing the boy to a pile of ashes. Her laughter echoed through the entire town.

"You know, I hate to be a downer, but how the hell are we supposed to beat her?" Ashitare moved away from the window. "Spells or no, that's one tough bitch…"

"Well, we can't just stand by while she destroys everything here." Hotohori's words were nearly lost in another explosion. He cringed. "Piao, Shen, see what you can do with those books. We'll keep her occupied."

Piao and Shen began looking through the books as the seishi left. Chiriko hung back slightly, unsure of what she should do.

"Hey, you coming or what?" Tomo looked over his shoulder, ready to yell at her.

She stared out the window. "Why bother? I'm pretty useless here. I can't fight her or her demons…"

Tomo wasn't sure what to do now either. He knew he couldn't really refute what she said even though he wanted to.

"Wait Chiriko." Piao touched her shoulder.

"What?"

"I think you can fight her. You told me one time that you used to practice archery when your parents weren't around. Do you still know how to fire a bow and arrow?"

She shrugged. "Yeah…you never forget really. But what's that got to do with this?"

"I have a plan. Listen up. Tomo, you come here too." Piao pulled the two seishi over and began to speak.

----------------------------------------

Nuriko, Ashitare and Amiboshi were backed into a small corner by one of Naraku's giant wolf demons. Amiboshi stared in dismay at his flute, accidentally left somewhere behind the wolf creature. Ashitare no longer had the energy to turn into a wolf to fight back. Nuriko's left arm was dislocated and he was just tired in general. They stared at the demon's gaping maw wondering which one of them it would eat first.

As its giant teeth went for Nuriko's head, he got ready to attack one last time. But it stopped in front of him. Ashitare and Amiboshi stared at the still creature. "What the…?"

"Would you three move it!" Miboshi suddenly snapped at them. "I can't hold this thing forever!" She held one hand against her head and the other pointed at the wolf.

"Miboshi, what are you doing?" Amiboshi asked as the three boys ran from the corner.

"It's got just enough of a mind to control. But Naraku is a lot better at controlling…" Her words were cut off by a loud cry. She nearly passed out from pain when her control of the creature snapped and it turned on her.

"Stay out of my pet's mind, girl!" Naraku hissed at Miboshi. "Get her!" She ordered the wolf demon on the half unconscious girl.

"Miboshi!" Nuriko watched in horror as the wolf charged at her, head down, full speed. He heard her grunt in pain as she bounced off its head and went skidding into a fallen out building.

Forgetting his own injuries, Nuriko went after the wolf while Ashitare went to find Miboshi. Amiboshi ran to collect his flute and help Chichiri and Tasuki with more wolf demons.

"Miboshi? Can you hear me?" Ashitare lifted up part of a fallen overhang.

"Ugh…" Miboshi brushed a strand of blood soaked green hair out of her face.

Ashitare pulled her out of the rubble. "You still alive there?"

"Barely." She leaned against him. "Where's the thing?" She looked around for the demon.

Before Ashitare could answer, a bright flash of red caught his eye as Nuriko hurled the wolf demon into the one that Chichiri, Tasuki and Amiboshi were fighting. "I think that was it…"

Miboshi stared at Nuriko in shock. "But he's so hurt…"

"He got really mad when you got hit."

"He did?" She tried to look up at him but winced in pain when she did.

"Yeah. Come on. We better move from here. We're sitting ducks." He picked her up and ran from the fallen building just as another energy blast landed in the rubble.

Nakago contended with one on her own. It was practically on top of her. She couldn't get a hand free to blast it. A flash of silver was all she caught before the wolf reared back and howled in pain. She quickly rolled away before it came back down on top of her.

She shook away the dizziness that had led her to be caught under the demon and saw why it had suddenly let her up. There was a bloody gash down the creature's left side. Hotohori stood behind the creature with his bloody sword in hand.

"I suppose I owe you now, don't I?"

"I didn't do it to get a favor from you later. I saw you stumble and thought I should help."

Nakago was about to speak again when the wolf recovered from its wound and turned on them again. It began its charge.

"Rekka Shin'en!"

"Hakujin Raiho!"

A stream of electrically charged fire turned the demon into a smoldering pile of ashes.

"You two can bicker later. If you didn't notice, we're a bit over run here." Tasuki pulled a knife out of her coat and threw it straight into the mouth of another beast. "Has anyone seen Chiriko or Tomo?"

Chichiri blasted another wolf. "Didn't they come out with us?"

"I thought so, but now I haven't seen them…Piao and Shen haven't shown up either…"

"Your little friends are smart not to be out here." Naraku held up her black mirror. "They know you're all going to die."

"Shut it you bitch! I'm so sick of you!" Tasuki barked at the floating spirit.

Naraku laughed. "Well, I suppose you'll be the next one to join the priestesses here since I'm sick of you too." She pointed the mirror at Tasuki.

Suddenly, an arrow went zooming past Naraku's face. Naraku and all the other seishi whirled to face the direction the arrow came from. Chiriko was perched on a rooftop, bow in hand. She was already fitting the bow with another arrow.

"Stupid girl. You can't hurt me with that thing."

"I know." She smiled. "But I really wasn't aiming for you."

Naraku's eyes narrowed. "You're more eager to die than your friends aren't you?" She turned the black mirror on Chiriko. "Fine. You can go next instead."

A white clawed hand came shooting out of the darkness, straight for her. She didn't move. Tasuki's face paled. "Chiriko, you little stooge! What the hell are you doing?"

As the hand reached her, she disappeared in a puff of smoke with a smirk on her face. Everyone stood still. Mitsukake was the first to speak after a moment. "Tomo…"

Suddenly two more images of Chiriko appeared on other rooftops. "Come on now. You can aim better right?"

Naraku let out an infuriated scream. "You'll pay for this girl!" She let loose more bolts of energy but for every image of Chiriko that disappeared, two more would appear.

Naraku was too angry to speak. All she did was scream whenever more images of Chiriko appeared. Nakago studied the images, trying to figure out which, if any, were the real Chiriko.

A sudden flash of silver answered their dilemma. On the ground about 50 meters away, Chiriko had just fired another arrow straight at Naraku's mirror. But it wasn't an ordinary arrow. The arrow had pierced straight through the mirror and crackled with a strange energy.

Naraku stared at the arrowhead in disbelief. "How could you have…?"

"Wasn't really me." She smirked. "I'd blame would-be nephew for this one. He made the arrow."

Naraku was about to scream again when a soft chant filled the air. Fear flashed through her eyes for a quick instant. She recognized the words and she swore it was her sister speaking them instead of Piaoliang. Naraku tried to throw the mirror away but it seemed stuck in her hands.

Everyone watched in awe as the mirror exploded and engulfed the surrounding area in a ball of white light. One by one wisps of light flew out of the ball. Each wisp had a vaguely human shape to it.

Chichiri shivered as one of them passed by her. "The souls…Suzaku…how many of them were there?"

"Almost one thousand…" Shen answered quietly. "If she had captured one thousand, we'd probably all be dead already."

A few more minutes of silence passed by while souls continued to fly by. Finally the last of the souls were flying away. While most of the other souls flew away, two stayed nearby, one tinted red and the other blue.

Suboshi stared at the blue soul as it took on a more definite shape. "Momo…" The blue figure turned to him and smiled.

The red figure hovered near Hotohori. It didn't do much. It just winked at him and flew off in the direction of the boat. He smiled.

The blue soul quickly followed.

Tamahome watched them disappear. "Were those the priestesses?"

Chichiri nodded. "Yep. They should be fine now…"

"Chichiri, you should go back to the boat just to be sure. None of the rest of us are really in good enough shape to travel at the moment. Tell them what's happened here."

"Everything?" Chichiri arched an eyebrow.

"Everything." He nodded.

"Alright. I'll be back later then." Chichiri disappeared in a puff of smoke.

A sudden scream from Naraku jolted everyone to attention. They had nearly forgotten she was there. She looked slightly older, a little more tired. "You'll all die miserable deaths for this!"

"Why don't you just admit you've lost?" Tasuki yelled. "We're gonna to beat you."

Naraku dragged herself to her feet. She glared at Tasuki. "But will the victory be worth it? I won't go down alone." She raised her hand and pointed it at Tasuki.

Everyone got into a defensive stance. But Naraku didn't fire at Tasuki. Instead she whipped around and shot at Chiriko who was a good distance away from everyone else. Then she disappeared in an explosion of black flames.

Chiriko's brain screamed for her to run but her feet wouldn't move. She closed her eyes when felt something crash into her body. She felt dazed and really couldn't register what hit her.

Tasuki caught a glimpse of something next to Chiriko before they disappeared behind a building. "I'll see if she's okay." Tasuki ran off to find the younger girl.

She turned the corner and saw Chiriko on the ground with someone next to her. After a moment she recognized the other person as Tomo. '_Well…this'll be interesting…'_ She ducked behind another close by building to hear what Chiriko was going to say.

"Chiriko…" Tomo gently nudged her. "You okay?"

Chiriko kept her eyes closed for a moment. "Ugh…" The first thing she saw when she finally opened them was Tomo's concerned gray eyes. "Tomo? You saved me?"

The concern suddenly fled from his eyes. "Don't expect me to make a habit out of it." He got up and dusted off his pants.

Chiriko pushed herself into a sitting position. "How can I not?"

He looked down at her. "What are you talking about?"

"You have made a habit out of saving me." She got to her feet.

"I have not!"

"You have so! You're always there when I need someone" She counted on her fingers. "The cave, the men outside the cave, the doctor, the storm and now this. Why do you keep saving me if you hate me so much?"

Tomo said nothing for a moment. He turned around. "Let's go rejoin the others."

"No." She didn't move.

"I'm not moving till you tell me what's up with you."

"Fine…" He muttered under his breath. "You really want to know why I am the way I am?"

"Yeah I do. Maybe it would help me understand you a little more." She crossed her arms.

Tasuki watched in shock as Tomo suddenly grabbed the shorter girl and kissed her. '_I knew he liked her…'_

Chiriko's eyes widened as her arms fell to her sides. Tomo brushed his fingers against her cheek. "I love you Chiriko…" He murmured softly. "I don't know how else to act…"

Chiriko didn't move. She could barely breathe. She tried to find a lie in his eyes, waited for him to laugh in her face and say he was kidding. But she found none and he never laughed.

"You…you're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes…I wouldn't lie about this…"

Chiriko couldn't find her voice again. She just stared at the ground.

Tomo let out a quiet sigh. '_Well…what did I think she'd do? Jump in my arms and say she feels the same way? Who am I kidding? She doesn't love me…who the hell was I kidding?'_ He stared up at the sky, wishing he could just disappear and never come back.

Tasuki sighed and walked out from behind the building. "Hey! Are you two okay?"

They both jerked a bit. Chiriko looked completely relieved. "Yeah! We're fine." She hurried over to the other female seishi. "Just fine."

"Yeah…fine…" Tomo muttered and walked away.

Tasuki looked down at Chiriko. "You sure you're fine?" '_I wish I could have heard what he said after he kissed her…'_

"Yeah. Of course we're fine. Never better…" She gave Tasuki a halfhearted smile.

"Hmm…well, come on. The others are waiting." Tasuki slung her arm over Chiriko's shoulder. "So where'd you learn how to shoot like that?"

Chiriko smiled at the subject change. "Oh…around. And I was always a bit of a natural born archer."

"Think it might be from being a seishi?"

She shrugged. "I dunno…I always thought it was just being smart, but I suppose there could be more to being Chiriko."

Tasuki smiled and led Chiriko back to the others. '_Well…I'm going to find out what happened here if it kills me…it's too good to pass up…'_

----------------------------------------

An Hua was standing on deck with Ryuuji and Hime. She looked up at the tall pirate. "Are they gonna come back soon?" She ran her fingers over Hime's fur.

"I hope so, kid. I'm startin' to worry about 'em…" He sighed.

She stared out at the island for a moment. Suddenly she saw some of the white wisps that had come from the mirror. "What're those?"

Ryuuji pushed An behind his leg. "I'm not sure…"

The wisps went soaring over the boat and off to points unknown. Then the blue and red wisps came to the boat. Hime meowed loudly at the sight of them. An smiled widely.

"Kohana and Momo-ne-chan!"

"What?" Ryuuji stared at the wisps. "How can you tell?"

"I just know!" She, with Hime at her heels, ran after the wisps as they went below deck.

Ryuuji didn't know what else to do other than follow. They rushed down to the room where Kohana and Momo were. Ryuuji opened the door.

Kohana was already sitting up, eyes wide. Momo was a little slower. She was lying on the bed, eyes open breathing normally.

"Kohana-ne-chan!" An grinned and ran over to the priestess, jumping into her lap.

Kohana smiled and swept the little girl into a hug. "An! Oh it's so good to see you!"

Ryuuji went to Momo's side. "How do you feel Lady Momo?"

Momo slowly sat up. "Wh…where am I? Who are you?" She stared up at the gold-eyed man she'd never seen before in her life.

"You're on the _Blue Phoenix_. I'm one of the crew members here." He helped her into a more comfortable position.

Momo looked around the room and saw Kohana and An. "Kohana…"

Kohana looked over at the other girl. "Looks like we made it out, huh?"

Momo shivered a little. "Yeah…" An suddenly got out of Kohana's hug and went to hug Momo. She blinked a few times. "Wh…what?"

An smiled. "You looked like you needed a hug. I'm An Hua. Nuriko's my big brother and Ashi-kun is my puppy."

Momo and Kohana stared at each other. Momo looked down at An again. "Ashi-kun? You mean…Ashitare?"

"Yeah. Him. He plays games with me. Dress-up is his favorite." She giggled.

Kohana was about to ask another question when the door opened again. "Chichiri!"

The woman hurried over to her priestess and hugged her. "Thank Suzaku you're okay…"

"What happened? Where is everyone? And why is one of Momo's seishi An's new playmate?"

Chichiri smiled. "Well…it's a long story. Ryuuji, can you get us some drinks? This is gonna take a while."

He smiled and nodded. "Sure. Be right back."

Chichiri made herself comfortable on the bed. "Well, I guess I'll start with what happened after you two were captured…that was a very interesting night…"

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Just in case anyone isn't aware of it, I do have a picture of Nakago for whoever wants to see it.

-Shadow Hawk


	21. Reconciliation

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 21: Reconciliation **

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_****

-Conversations between twins-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kohana and Momo sat silently while Chichiri finished telling them all they had missed. An sat in Ryuuchi's lap, eyes wide. "Is everyone okay?"

Chichiri shrugged. "We're all a little beaten up, but no one's seriously hurt…" She didn't want to mention that she thought the young girl's brother was hurt the worst out of everyone when she had left.

Kohana stared at the ground. "Tamahome attacked Hotohori?" She had been thinking about it ever since the blonde mage had mentioned it.

"I don't know everything that happened since I wasn't there when it happened…but like I said, he's been drugged to forget so I'd be careful what you do around him…you should probably ask Hotohori for the whole story in private."

"I will…" Kohana sighed. "Are you going back there now?"

"That's the plan. Hotohori sent me here to see if you two were okay." She stood up. "Since you are, I have to go back and tell them."

Momo suddenly stood up. "Well, then I'm going too."

"Excuse me?" Chichiri raised an eyebrow. "You're not in any shape to…"

"I don't care. I've been unconscious for the last, what? Month roughly? I'm not going to sit around and wait anymore." Momo put her hands on her hips.

"But Momo…"

"No, she's right. I'm coming too. And I'm sure An wants to come too, right?" Kohana stood up.

The little girl nodded and hopped up onto the bed. "Please Aunt Chichiri? I want to see Ni-chan!" She looked up at Chichiri with big puppy eyes.

Chichiri groaned slightly. "Alright, alright…I'll take you back to the village. You wanna come to Ryuuchi, since I'm taking passengers and all?"

He chuckled. "That's okay. I'm far more comfortable traveling naturally rather than magically."

            "Well then, I guess we'll see you again soon. Come on girls."

            ----------------------

            Chiriko and Miboshi were sitting under a tree just outside the village watching the stars.

            "Hey Chiriko?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine…why?"

"You've seemed…I dunno…spacey since the battle…"

Chiriko sighed. She trusted Miboshi but she didn't want to say anything about what Tomo had said to her or anyone really. "I know…I guess I'm kind of overwhelmed…a few weeks ago my life was pretty simple…now I'm somehow part of some battle for the world…"

"I guess it is pretty overwhelming…" Miboshi sighed. "I never really thought about it…"

"I think I have too much time to think…"

They sat in silence again.

"So how's it going with Tomo?" Miboshi suddenly asked.

Chiriko's face turned red. "What do you mean?"

"He saved your butt today. Don't you think he cares about you?"

"He saved me, so what?" Chiriko sighed again, sounding slightly annoyed. "Shen and Tasuki saved Hotohori, does that mean they love him?"

"Well no…it doesn't…but technically Shen, Tasuki and Hotohori are part of the same team. They look out for each other. Tomo doesn't have to save you. He just does."

"I wish you'd stop suggesting something between us. There isn't anything."

"What about when Nuriko and I found you two in bed?" She asked innocently.

Chiriko was about to yell at her about how nothing happened when a bright flash of light drew their attention. They both jumped to their feet, ready to either fight or run.

Four figures landed on the ground, hard. Miboshi and Chiriko looked at each other, confused, when at least two groaned in pain.

They cautiously approached the pile of people.

"I never thought I'd actually be happy to feel pain…" A female voice murmured as she got up.

"Lady Momo!" Miboshi recognized the voice immediately and pulled the girl to her feet. "You're okay!" She hugged her priestess tightly.

Momo laughed and hugged back. "It's great to see you too Miboshi!"

Kohana stood up and came face to face with Chiriko. "Hi. I don't think I know you. But I'm Kohana." She smiled and stuck out her hand.

Chiriko stared at Kohana's hand, not knowing what to do. "Umm…hi. I'm Chiriko…"

Kohana's smiled widened and instead of offering the other girl her hand, she hugged her. "So you're Chiriko! It's great to finally meet you! I wish I could have been there when you joined the group but, you know, I was kinda out of it."

Chiriko blinked a couple of times and slowly returned the hug. "Nice to meet you too."

"You okay? You seem confused." Kohana let go of the other girl.

"Well…ah…Nuriko and Tasuki told me to expect an…out of the ordinary girl for a priestess…but you're…ah…"

"Even weirder than you figured?" Kohana giggled. "Most people say that."

"I hope you're not offended…" Chiriko was a little nervous.

"Don't worry about it." Kohana waved it off. "Let's go see the others. I've been dying to see everyone."

"Everyone or just your boyfriend?" Momo smirked.

"Momo!" Kohana wrinkled her nose and ran after the other girl. "You promised you weren't gonna be mean any more!"

Momo just laughed as she ran off. An and the other girls smiled and quickly went after them. They stopped running when Kohana caught Momo by the arm.

"Would you quit running? I bet you don't even know where you're going."

Momo shrugged. "No, but that's never stopped me before."

Kohana rolled her eyes. "Don't I know it."

"If you two are done running around, we could go see the others." Miboshi laughed and picked up An.

An smiled. "Come on! Come on! Let's go!"

Chiriko and Miboshi took the other girls back to the village elder's. It was the only place big enough for all of them.

The first ones to greet them were Nuriko, Tasuki and Ashitare. Tasuki spotted Kohana first and nearly pounced on the girl.  "Kohana! You're okay!" She pulled Kohana into a bear hug. "Jeez! Ya little brat! You had us all worried!"

Kohana laughed. "Sorry 'bout that. Oh it's good to see you!" She hugged the other woman.

Miboshi handed An over to Nuriko. He smiled at the green haired girl then turned to his little sister. "Were you good for Ryuuchi and the others?"

She hugged her big brother and grinned. "More or less."

Miboshi giggled as Nuriko rolled his eyes. "Oh well. It's more important that you're safe." He hugged An. "I missed you a lot you know that?"

Ashitare grabbed Momo and ruffled her hair. "You're back! Now I have some one to bug again!" He laughed.

Momo swatted at his hand. "Jeez, I come back from Naraku's other dimension thing to have my hair ruffled." She shook her head. "It's good to be back."

He gave her a wolfish grin. "I bet you wanna see Suboshi, right?"

Momo smirked. "No. I've been dying to see Nakago."

Ashitare chuckled. "Oh, what a treat she's been on this trip…" He opened the front door and everyone went in.

Just about everyone else was asleep somewhere in the large house. Ashitare led Momo down a hall to the room Suboshi and Amiboshi were in. Amiboshi was already asleep while Suboshi sat up in bed, staring off into space. Ashitare smiled at Momo and left the room.

Momo walked up to the side of the bed. "Hey." She poked him gently.

He jerked out of his slight trance and looked up. "Momo?" His eyes widened in shock.

She smiled. "Always know what to say, don't you?"

He got up and pulled her into a hug. "You're really back…"

She said nothing, just held onto him. Any words she might have wanted to say were lost in her quiet sobs. He held her tightly as she cried.

 "It's okay Momo…the mirror is gone…it won't happen again…"

"Oh Suboshi…it was so dark and cold…and all those people…it was horrible…it felt like I was dead…" She looked up at him with a tear streaked face.

He wiped away her tears with his thumb and kissed her forehead. "You're here now…safe and alive in a warm place. I'm not leaving your side ever again."

Amiboshi began to wake up when he became more aware of someone else in the room. He opened one sleepy eye and saw Suboshi and Momo in a tight embrace. For a moment he thought about saying hello to Momo but decided against it. He rolled over and went back to sleep.

Suboshi looked at his wrist. "Momo?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want your bracelet back? You said that you wanted it back when…"

She stopped him with a kiss. "I know what I said…but I changed my mind. Keep it. I want you to always carry something of mine with you." She curled up into his arms. "Suboshi?"

"Hmm?" He pulled away from her a bit so he could see her face.

"Can I stay here tonight? I still feel cold…"

"If you want to, sure. Even if you hadn't said that, I probably still would have slept in a chair next to whatever bed you slept in."

She smiled. "Thank you Suboshi. I love you." As he slipped his arms around her, she quickly drifted into a warm, peaceful sleep.

"I love you too Momo…" He held her for a few moments then drifted off to sleep.

---------

Kohana found Hotohori standing by a window, staring out at the stars. He looked so deep in thought that she hated to disturb him. He also looked tired.

She walked up behind him and slipped her arms around his waist. "Ever think about sleeping? This place doesn't look so bad."

He craned his neck to look who was holding onto him. "Kohana!?"

"Hi." She giggled and let him go.

He turned to look at her and pulled her into his arms. "Thank Suzaku you're safe."

She buried her face in his shirt. "I could say the same about you…how's your arm?"

"It's fine. How do you feel?" He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm okay. A little shaken, but okay." She looked up at him. "You'll tell me what happened, right? Chichiri told me mostly what happened but I want you to tell me…" They sat down together next to the window.

"I will…in time. Not now though. You're back now and that's what matters." He smiled and kissed her.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I so happy to be back…" She pressed herself back into his arms, enjoying the safety and warmth she felt with the man she loved. "I don't think I've ever felt so alone in my whole life…"

Hotohori rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes. "I failed you as a guardian Kohana…I'm sorry."

Kohana shook her head against his shirt. "No. You never failed me Hotohori…please don't say that…"

"But…"

"Shhh…" She put one finger over his lips. "It's not important now. It won't ever be important. I'm here with you now. That's what's important."

Hotohori smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. She let out a happy little sigh. "Kohana?" She didn't answer him. "Kohana?" He shook her a little, a bit more concerned.

She shifted a little but still didn't say anything.

Hotohori let out a sigh of relief when he realized she was only asleep. He picked her up and took her to a bedroom. When he tried to let go of her, she held onto him. He was surprised at how strong she was. Not wanting to wake her up, he laid down next to her and fell asleep as her arms tightened around him.

Tamahome saw them together from a doorway. He wasn't sure what to think. Part of him couldn't really remember ever being around Kohana. Another seemed to be angry to see Kohana and Hotohori together. But he quickly pushed the feeling away and quickly convinced himself he had no reason to resent them being together. He walked down the hall back to his own room.

----------------------

Suboshi panicked when he woke up alone in bed. He wondered if he had only dreamed being with Momo last night. He got up and went back to the main room of the house. Hotohori was there as well, with a similarly distressed look on his face.

"Hotohori?"

"Suboshi…did you see Momo last night?"

"Yeah…well…I thought I did…but she wasn't there when I woke up…"

"Neither was Kohana…I know I was with her last night…"

They stood in silent wonder when they both heard someone talking. They got closer to where the voices were coming from. The people talking seemed to be just outside.

"No…I haven't really thought about what to do after the summoning…you?" They both recognized Kohana's voice.

"I've been thinking about staying here…" Suboshi sighed with relief when Momo's voice answered.

"Really?"

"Can't really think of a reason to go back…"

"What about your family?"

"What about it? It'd take a year before my parents ever figure out I was gone."

"Oh come on Momo."

"I'm serious. I can't stand my parents. If they're around at all, all they do is yell at me for what I do wrong. Suboshi knows my flaws and he still loves me. Why should I leave him?"

Hotohori and Suboshi looked at each other while they waited for Kohana to answer.

"They're your parents. Wouldn't you miss them?"

They heard Momo sigh. "Just because they're your parents doesn't mean you love them and they love you. Your sister and her husband care more about you than my parents ever cared about me. I'd kill to have a family like yours."

"Like…mine?"

"Yeah. I want to feel needed and loved. I feel that here…even if it's just because I'm the priestess, I don't care. At least I'll have it for a while."

"I didn't know you felt that way…"

"No one ever does. I'm pretty good at hiding everything…"

"So why talk about it now?"

"I dunno…" She paused. "Doesn't seem to matter who knows anymore…" She took a deep breath. "Where would you go given the choice? Stay here or go back?"

"I don't know…there's so much I can't give up. Hotohori means everything to me…but so does my sister…I don't think I could choose between my family and the man I love…" Suboshi looked over at Hotohori. He seemed deep in thought.

"Would you prefer it if someone chose for you?"

"Yeah. I'd feel better if I knew I had absolutely no control over it."

"What if you wished for everyone to be in one world?"

"No…" Another pause. "There are too many other things that need to be done first. It would be selfish of me to ask that while so much still needs to be done…"

"You're right…we're not doing this for ourselves…for the longest time I thought all this was a dream…but now I know it's not."

"Do you regret being here?"

"No. I could never regret coming here. I love this place. For me, everything is just right. I can't really describe it, but I never want to leave."

"I don't really want to leave either…" There was another pause in their conversation. "Momo?"

"Yeah?"

"There is a truce between the countries we're with, but what about us? Are we going to start fighting again?"

Momo sighed. "I'm tired of fighting. After all this, us fighting would just be stupid."

"Friends then?"

"Friends."

"Should we go back in now?"

"Yeah. I'm sure Suboshi and Hotohori have noticed we're not around by now."

"Let's go then. I haven't said hi to everyone yet."

Momo sighed. "I wonder what I'm supposed to say to Nakago…"

"Don't get along huh?" Kohana opened up the front door.

"Not in the least." She went inside. They both were a little surprised to see Suboshi and Hotohori immediately inside the house. "Morning. Sorry 'bout leaving. I wanted to walk around but I didn't want to wake you up." She linked her arm with Suboshi's. "You're really cute when you're sleeping." She smiled when he blushed and she dragged him off.

Kohana looked up at Hotohori. "I'm assuming you heard most of the conversation."

"Most." He nodded. "I wouldn't make you choose Kohana…"

She held onto his arm and smiled. "Let's go find breakfast, huh? I'm really hungry."

Hotohori looked down at her. "Alright. We'll go find something to eat."

----------------------

After eating, the group said their thank yous and goodbyes to the people in the village and Chichiri took them all back to the ship. They would spend a few days on the boat recovering and planning their next move.

Kohana and Momo's conversation wasn't mentioned by any of the four that heard it. Everyone was fine except for one thing. Tasuki was worried because she hadn't heard Chiriko and Tomo fighting all day. As a matter of fact, except for meals, no one saw them in the same room together all day. Tasuki made up her mind to find out what happened between the two of them.

----------------------

Chiriko lit the lamp in her room and sat back on her bed. She absently flipped through a book and sighed. After a few minutes she rested the book on her stomach and sighed. "This is so pointless. I can't even think straight…"

Tasuki walked by her room when she heard her sigh. "Hey kiddo, what's wrong?"

She rubbed her temples then picked the book back up. "I can't read."

"Funny. Thought a genius would be able to." Tasuki smirked.

Chiriko smiled. "Ha. Ha…My mind's just really…preoccupied…" She pretended to find something interesting on one page.

"Sorry." She grabbed a chair and sat next to the younger girl. "What's wrong?"

Chiriko didn't answer at first. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell anyone about her problems with Tomo. "Well…a friend of mine…she has this problem…" She stared at the floor.

Tasuki smiled knowingly. _'Here we go…'_  "A friend huh? Want some advice to give her?"

She nodded. "Could you give me some?"

"I'll try. Tell me about your friend's problem." Tasuki leaned back in the chair.

"You see…there's this really annoying boy that…well…she kinda likes…she thinks she does anyway…and the boy likes her but she doesn't know exactly how she feels about him…and she's been really confused for a while now…" Chiriko closed the book in her hands and rubbed her eyes.

"Hmmm…Does she know for sure this guy likes her?"

She tried to hide a blush. "H-he told her that he loves her."

"He said it huh? Well…" _'So that's what he said to her…how cute.' _She tapped her finger against her chin. "What is it about this guy that she sorta likes?"

"Well…every time she sees him…she gets this nice feeling…" She smiled a little. "He's really nice to her…when he wants to be really…he is kinda mean at times…but he was because he was scared to tell her how he felt…" She looked up at Tasuki. "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. I'd say your "friend" has got it bad for this guy. Can you tell me the guy's name or is it a secret?" Tasuki propped her chin on her hands.

She turned red. "I…well…she doesn't want anyone to know…it's really embarrassing…"

"Because up until now the two of them have only been mean to each other and it would be really weird if the two of them were suddenly together?"

She twiddled her thumbs and shifted nervously in her chair. "Yeah…"

"Well, screw what everyone else thinks. It's your friend's life. If she eventually figures out that she likes him and he still likes her, nothing else matters."

Chiriko sat quietly. "Thanks Tasuki…that makes a lot of sense. I feel a lot better now."

"Oh? You feel better?" Tasuki sat back in the chair, amused. "Must be a really close friend for you to be so worried about her problems."

Chiriko blushed again. "Well…I uh…I mean my friend will feel better once I tell her…" Tasuki burst out laughing. "Hey! Stop laughing! I'm about to have a nervous breakdown over here."

Tasuki quickly sobered up. "Sorry." She was quiet for a moment. "My suggestion to you is figure out how you feel about Tomo and tell him. He's up on deck if you happen to figure it out tonight. Don't lose the moment."

"Thanks…Wait! How'd you know it was Tomo?" Her eyes widened.

Tasuki chuckled. "Come on Chiriko. You two fight like an old married couple. It's pretty hard to miss. Besides, I saw him kiss you after he saved your butt from Naraku. I just couldn't hear what he was saying to you."

She blushed again. "We do not!" Then she smiled. "But thanks…"

"You do too." She grinned. "And you're welcome. I'll leave you alone to think for a while." Tasuki left her alone.

Chiriko nodded. "Bye! …Maybe I should tell him…I do care about him a lot…do I love him? Maybe…I think I do…" She sat for a time, deep in thought.

----------------------

Out on deck, Tomo was beating himself up over what he'd done the other day. He leaned against the mast, hitting his head on it in a steady rhythm. "Seiryuu help me. I'm in love with Chiriko and I told her…What the hell was I thinking?!" Unbeknownst to him, Chiriko had come up on deck and could see and hear him quite clearly. "She probably thinks I'm nuts now…" He started walking to the bow of the ship. "I must be nuts to think she could have felt the same way…why did I go and tell her I love her?"

Chiriko swallowed hard. Tasuki's voice rang in her head. _'Don't lose that moment.'_ "Um…Tomo?"

He stopped dead in his tracks. "Shit…"

She smiled and walked towards him. "Hi." She looked up at the early evening sky. "Nice night, huh?"

He didn't move to look at her. He just silently leaned against the rail. "Ummm…hi…" He shifted nervously. "Yeah…it's not bad…"

She leaned on the rail next to him. "I've been thinking about what you said…"

He bit his lower lip really hard. "Look, if you could just forget that…I didn't mean for that to happen…I just…"

"Then you don't really love me?" She didn't look at him but she sounded a little hurt.

"No! I do!" He mentally slapped himself for admitting it again. "I just…I didn't want it to happen that way…"

"What do you mean?" She looked up at him curiously.

He continued to look at the open waters. "I don't know, okay? I don't know what I meant, I didn't know what I was doing, just please…forget I said that to you Chiriko… There was a moment while we were fighting Naraku that I thought I might lose you and I just blurted it out…" His voice was strained, as if he might cry.

"But you meant it, right?"

"Yes!" He growled at himself. He couldn't believe how stupid he was being. "Just forget it! I was stupid to think you could love an idiot like me!" He started to stalk off.

"I can't do that Tomo…I can't forget." She grabbed his arm.

He turned around. "What? Why?" His eyes narrowed. "You wanna blackmail me later?"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "Shut up. You've had your time to talk. Now it's my turn." She let him go. "I've been driving myself nuts since yesterday trying to figure out my feelings for you. And I finally figured it out. Even though you drive me nuts, there's a part of me, a big part, that…" She timidly brushed her lips against his. "That loves you dearly…"

He looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. "W…what?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "I love you."

"You're not trying to play games with me are you?" He held her by her shoulders, both happiness and fear in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes but still smiled. "I'm not playing with you. I really do love you. Honest." She closed her eyes.

Tomo smiled and pulled her into his arms to kiss her. Chiriko immediately responded to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed back as hard as she could. She shivered as she felt his fingers run through her hair while he whispered 'I love you' over and over again. She smiled to herself. _'I won't lose the moment…'_

Tasuki sat up in the crow's nest watching them on deck. She laughed to herself and took a long drink from her sake bottle. "Like I said…old married couple."

Tomo rested his forehead against hers. "I think Tasuki's watching us." He murmured.

"So what?" She shrugged. "She already knows. She was the one who helped me figure out how I feel about you."

Tomo pulled her closer. "What'd you need help for?"

"I was scared…" She rested her head on his chest. "No one's ever said they loved me before…not 'I want to be with you forever' love anyway…I didn't think anyone ever would. I'm nothing special…"

"You are to me." He rested his chin on top of her head.

She smiled. "You're being really sappy you know that?"

"What? Don't want me to be romantic?" He chuckled.

"Not all the time. I don't want us to change."

Tomo loosened his hold on her and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think it's a little late for that?"

"That's not what I meant." She rolled her eyes. "I mean I don't want us to, you know, always be together every second of the day and be like super romantic and mushy and stuff like that. I like the way we are."

"Even the fights?" They stood together on the front of the ship.

"Even the fights." She smiled. "They're the best parts." Then she was quiet for a moment. "What are we gonna tell everyone else?"

"About what?" He looked a little confused.

"About us."

Tomo raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to hide it from them?

"No!" She answered quickly. "I don't care what the others think about us being together. I don't care who knows. But I'm not going to, you know, make a big announcement at breakfast tomorrow."

"Well, I wasn't going to do that either, but if it'll embarrass you…" He looked like he was seriously considering it.

"Tomo!"

"What? You said you didn't want us to change, right?" He smirked and started to walk back to the rooms below deck.

She sighed and followed him. "You ass."

Tomo laughed. "But I'm your ass, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Now I gotta figure out whether or not that's a good thing."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and they went down to his room. "In time you'll see it's a good thing."

"Well aren't we the cocky bastard?"

"Yes we are." He smirked. His hand was on the door handle. "Stay with me tonight?" He wasn't demanding it, just making a simple request.

She nodded and followed him into the room. She kicked off her shoes and watched him do the same. She smiled as Tomo reached for her and pulled her to the bed with him. She curled up to him and fell asleep in his arms.

Tomo watched her sleeping form for a long time. He played with a strand of her hair. _'I guess I didn't mess up as much as I thought I had…she loves me…Chiriko actually loves me…'_ He smiled and drifted off to sleep with her.

---------------

Nakago glared at herself in the mirror. _'What the hell is the matter with me? Why do I feel like I'm going to pass out?' _She pushed a strand of dark blue hair away from her unusually pale face. _'I've never felt like this before…could Tasuki have been right? Am I pregnant?'_ She shook her head furiously. _'No…that can't be it…'_

"Nakago?" A soft knock accompanied by Soi's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "May I come in?"

"Yes." She opened the door for him.

His eyes were immediately drawn to her face. Not only was she pale, but she looked tired. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She muttered and walked back into the room.

"You don't look fine." He closed the door and followed her.

"Did you come in here to say something to me or just to nag me about how I look?" She snapped at him.

His brow furrowed. "I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately."

"I'm fine." She growled. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Yes it is." He wrapped his arms around her. "Please tell me what's wrong."

She closed her eyes and sighed. His arms were so warm and welcoming. He made the world less painful for her. "I don't know what's wrong with me." She said softly while mentally cursing the new softer side of herself that Soi occasionally brought out in her. "I just don't feel well."

"Maybe you should go see Mitsukake." He ran his fingers through her hair. "He could probably help out. He's not busy right now."

"I'm not admitting to any of _them_ that I'm not feeling well. I'm sure it will pass."

"I'm not sure. You haven't been well for at least a week that I've noticed…"

"I'm not going."

"If you don't go see him, I'll will."

"You wouldn't…" The look her gave her clearly said he would. Nakago frowned. "Fine. I'll talk to him…if it'll stop you from nagging me…it's probably nothing though."

"Just to make sure…"

"Yeah, yeah. Just to make sure." Nakago left her room in a bit of a huff. She wasn't used to anyone caring for her and Soi's affection for her unnerved her.

She walked quickly through the halls to Mitsukake's room, thankful no one else was around. She knocked on his door, hoping he was also alone.

"Come in." She heard him say and walked in.

Mitsukake was indeed alone. He finished writing something and looked up at the door. "Nakago…I was wondering when you'd come see me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I know you haven't been feeling well." He stuck the paper he had been writing on into a stack on the side of his bed.

"Who told you I wasn't well?" She barked, thinking to kill whoever went behind her back.

"No one." He stood up. "I am a doctor. And I'm not oblivious. You don't look well."

"Whatever. Just figure out what's wrong with me and I'll leave." She muttered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine, fine. Sit down." She grudgingly sat in a chair. "How long haven't you been feeling well?"

She shrugged. "A couple of weeks maybe."

"Any fainting or dizzy spells?"

"One major one."

He frowned. "When?"

She thought for a moment. "I don't remember exactly. I think it was in one of those first few villages we were in on the island."

"And you didn't tell anyone?" He suddenly snapped at her.

"It's no one's business but my own!" She hissed back at him

"Nakago, I understand you don't like to be open, but you have to understand you're part of a team now."

"So?"

"So what you do affects all of us now. What happens if you pass out in battle? What are we supposed to do, huh?"

"Stop lecturing me about how I deal with my life! Just figure out what's wrong with me and I'm done here."

Mitsukake sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her in the state she was in or any time for that matter. "Fine. Close you your eyes." She reluctantly complied. He held his left hand over her and it began to glow softly. He was thankful she couldn't see his face because the look on his face was one of pure confusion. "Nakago?"

"What?" She asked without opening her eyes.

"When was umm…" His mind raced, searching for a tactful way to ask his next question. "When was umm…your last…ah…period?" He braced himself for impact when her eyes shot open and she stood up sending the chair flying.

She grabbed him by the shirt and hissed at him. "You have no business asking me that!"

"I'm asking as a doctor. It's a legitimate question!" He pulled her hands off his shirt.

Her glare did not soften at all. "It's been about 5 weeks…"

"I thought so…"

"You say that like it's some important piece to a puzzle."

"Nakago, you're going to have to take better care of yourself now." She raised an eyebrow. "I don't know how to say this other than being blunt. You're pregnant."

"I'm…what?" Her arms fell to her sides and the anger fled from her face.

"You're pregnant. I can feel the baby girl inside you. I'm assuming Soi is the father?"

Nakago didn't answer him. She headed for the door. "Don't mention this to anyone. If I want someone to know, I'll tell them."

"Of course." Mitsukake watched her leave in a daze.

Nakago walked down the hall nearly as fast as her mind was racing. _'How did this happen? Well…that's a stupid question…I know how it happened…what am I supposed to do now? What is Soi going to say? Am I even going to tell him? Well…I have to…no doubt he's still in my room waiting for me…Seiryuu why?! Of all people why me? I can't be a mother!'_

Her pace slowed slightly as the door to her room came into view.

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-Shadow Hawk


	22. Lonely Hearts

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 22: Lonely Hearts**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_****

-Conversations between twins-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nakago took a deep breath before she opened the door as if she were about to jump into a bottomless pit of no return. Not that that wasn't an accurate description of how she felt.

She saw Soi lying on her bed, though she wasn't sure whether or not he was asleep. _'It's his fault I'm pregnant…all his fault…'_ She scowled. But her scowl wasn't for him, it was for herself. _'What am I talking about? It's not his fault…he didn't plan for this…it just happened…'_ She sat on the foot of the bed and buried her face in her hands.

Soi felt the bed shift and he opened one eye. "Nakago…?"

She didn't answer him and made no indication that she even heard him.

He stretched slightly and sat up. "Nakago, is there something wrong? Maybe you should get some rest…" He knew something was wrong, but it would be like pulling teeth to actually get it out of her.

She looked up slowly. "Soi…I thought you were asleep…"

He raised one eyebrow. "I was…before you came in."

"Oh…sorry to wake you…" She stared off into space.

He smiled and pulled her close. "Don't be. Now what's wrong?"

She was quiet for a moment, searching for the words she wanted. "Nothing's really wrong…exactly…It's just…" Her eyes fell to the floor.

He frowned. "Nakago…"

"Well…Mitsukake said I'm not sick…"

He nodded for her to continue. "Okay…and you're distressed about…?" He ran his fingers through her hair.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Well…Soi…I…I'm pregnant…with your daughter…"

Soi didn't say anything. He didn't know what he could possibly say. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her passionately.

She blushed ever so slightly when he released her. "You…you're not mad?"

He cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled at her. "Of course I'm not…this is just…unbelievable…"

"Soi…" She laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you Nakago…don't ever think otherwise…" He rested his head in hers.

"I know…I'm scared though…I'm not exactly mother material…"

He chuckled softly. "I know you can do it…and you aren't alone in this…you have me."

"That's true…" She nodded slightly. "But I'm still afraid of being like my mother…"

He shifted his grip on her so that he could rest his hands over her stomach. "You're the best at everything else you do…this isn't anything different…" He smiled. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

She placed her hands over his and smiled a bit. "Haven't had time yet…but we still have 8 months to come up with something."

He kissed her lightly. "You're right." He brought them both down on the bed. "Until then though…" He grinned.

She gave him a mock frown. "One is enough now Soi and I need sleep now. Today has just been…a lot to take in…" She rolled away from him.

He chuckled softly and pulled her back to his chest. "It has…"

She nestled into his arms. "And if you tell anyone about what I've told you tonight, I'll be forced to kill you."

"Don't worry. Your secrets are safe with me." He nuzzled her neck. "Sleep well Nakago…" When she didn't answer, he figured she was already asleep. He smiled and drifted off to sleep, thinking about what kind of parents he and Nakago would make.

----------------------

Back in the real world, Tasuki sat, head in hands, staring at the closed book on the table. He'd been up half the night thinking about Kohana. He'd never felt so helpless and he hated the feeling.

"Tasuki…she's on her own now. We can't help her…" He looked up to see Ayame walking into the room. "Come back to bed…"

"I know…but I can't accept that. If anything happens to her…"

"It won't. I have faith in the seishi." Ayame sat next to Tasuki and squeezed his hand. "They'll protect her."

"I'd feel better if I knew how this will end. I didn't particularly trust the Seiryuu seishi at first but that's passed. It's Tamahome I don't trust now. Never liked him…"

"Neither do I. But he'll have to accept that Kohana doesn't love him. I think he will. If he regains his memory, eventually he'll realize things won't be what they were 50 years ago."

"Maybe…" He was still staring at the book.

She looked at the cover. "Kohana and Momo are writing their own story now. They'll do what's right."

"Do you think they'll come back or stay?" He thought about the conversation she and Momo had that they had read about earlier that day.

"I don't know. But whatever happens, I'll accept it."

"Even if Kohana stays?"

"It's her life. She should be happy. If that means staying with Hotohori, fine. I don't want her to be unhappy after everything she's been through."

Tasuki looked over at her. "She does deserve what ever she wants. She's given a lot of other people happiness." He drew his wife closer.

She smiled and held onto him. "She has, hasn't she?"

He chuckled and stood up, helping her up. "I suppose we should go back to sleep huh?"

Ayame rolled her eyes and nodded. They headed back to their room in silence. She briefly looked into Kohana's room, wondering if she would get to see her sister again and where she would decide to stay.

----------------------

The group returned to the capital of Konan early the next day, looking to relax after the trip more than anything else. Nakago hadn't mentioned her pregnancy to anyone else yet. She knew she'd eventually have to tell everyone. Mitsukake was right. A team meant working together.

----------------------

Nakago found Momo and Kohana talking in the garden in the early afternoon. She had made the decision to tell Momo so they could figure out who needed to know and when.

"Lady Momo…may I speak to you in private?"

Momo sighed. "Nakago…I really don't want to talk about priestess stuff right now. I just got outta Hell, okay?"

"This isn't really priestess business that I wanted to talk about…"

Momo looked a little confused. "Really?" _'Nakago doesn't want to yell at me about my duties as a priestess?'_

"Really. May we speak in private?" She looked at Kohana. "If you don't mind…"

"It's cool." Kohana stood up. "I'll fine someone else to bug for a while."

"Hey wait. If it doesn't have anything to do with priestess business, what's the problem with her hearing it?" Momo put her hands on her hips.

"Please Momo, don't be difficult about this…" Nakago sighed.

Momo blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Well…I guess it is important if you forget to call me 'Lady' like you always do…which is really annoying and I wish you wouldn't do it…but anyway, fine. We'll go talk in private."

Kohana had already left the area leaving the priestess of Seiryuu and her seishi alone.

"So what's so important?" Nakago didn't look at her for a moment. That was what made her a little nervous. "Nakago?"

"I'm pregnant…" She said softly after another moment of silence.

Momo stared at Nakago, trying to register what the older woman had just told her. "How long?"

She shrugged. "Not long…a few weeks…"

"Umm…I'm guessing Soi?" She nodded. "How many people know?"

"You, Soi and Mitsukake."

"Wow…do you love him?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't have slept with him if I didn't. I have higher moral standards than my predecessors."

Momo rubbed the back of her neck. "Hmm…eight months…I think you should tell Kohana about this…"

"Why her?"

"Kohana knows more about kids than anyone I know. She'd totally know what you should prepare for."

Nakago raised an eyebrow. "Does she have children?"

"What? No!" Momo giggled a little. Nakago looked annoyed. "The thought of Kohana with kids is a little funny. Sorry." She regained her composure. "It's just that Kohana's sister is pregnant with her second kid right now. Kohana's the one that takes care of everything."

"Oh…well…if you think it's best…I don't really know what the hell I'm doing here…" Nakago sighed.

"Yeah, let's go find her." They found Kohana on the other side of the garden playing catch with An and canine Ashitare. "Hey Kohana! Come here for a sec!"

Kohana looked up. "Hang on." She handed the ball to An. "Be right back, kay?"

"Kay." An gave her a big smile and ran off with Ashitare.

Kohana jogged over to the two other women. "What's up?"

"Nakago's pregnant."

Kohana looked up at Nakago. "Are you really?"

She nodded. "About a month."

"Hmmm…we're gonna have to change your diet…"

"What's wrong with my diet?"

"Well, nothing. For non-pregnant people. You need to eat other things to make sure the baby is healthy…" Kohana tapped her finger on the side of her face. "Does Mitsukake know? You're going to need a good doctor…"

"Yes, he knows. He was the one that told me. Soi made me go see him because I was so pale."

"If he was worried about you being pale I'd hate to think what he'd do if you had morning sickness. He'd probably think you were dying." Momo smiled.

"He probably would. But it's nice to know he cares." Nakago stared up at the sky.

Momo looked Nakago over. She wondered what happened between Nakago and Soi while she and Kohana had been gone. Well, she knew one thing that happened, but she wanted to know what had led up to that.

----------------------

It rained that hard night. That, combined with the fact that she wasn't very tired anyway, left Miboshi lying wide awake in bed. Her room was stuffy but if she opened a window, the rain would come in.

After another half an hour of tossing and turning, she gave up on trying to sleep and decided to walk around until she felt sleepy. _'Maybe if I'm lucky I can find the kitchen and make some tea…'_

She grabbed a robe from a chair and slipped into it. A bag of tea leaves sat on her nightstand. She grabbed the bag and dropped it into a pocket. She walked out of her room and headed down the hall. Luck seemed to be with her at the moment because she eventually did wander into the kitchen.

To her surprise, someone was already up. She cracked open the door and peeked in. Miboshi cocked her head to the side when she heard a young girl laughing. Someone else was slumped over at the table, mumbling something about sleep.

She opened the door more and saw that Nuriko and An Hua were the ones up. Nuriko looked exhausted but An was still wide awake.

"Hey…why are you two still up?" She held in a giggle when she heard Nuriko groan.

"An won't go to sleep…" Nuriko propped up his head with his hand. "We've been up for the past hour." He was glad someone else was also up and especially glad it was Miboshi.

"Well, I'm not sleepy Ni-chan!" An sat across the table from her brother and pouted. "The rain is too loud."

Nuriko muttered something about the rain. Miboshi laughed and sat with An. "The rain is loud. I was going to make some tea to help me sleep. Would you like some An?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Is it good tea?"

"Well, I think it's good. You can always add some honey."

"Okay! Tea time!" She looked at her brother and giggled. His eyes were already closed. "I don't think Ni-chan needs any help sleeping!"

Miboshi smiled. "No, doesn't look like he does." She got up and moved around the table next to Nuriko. She removed his head from his hand and let him rest his head on his arm on the table. He stayed fast asleep while she moved him.

An watched her with wide green eyes as they went to the cooking stove. "Miboshi-ne-chan?"

"Hmm?" Miboshi looked back at her as she filled up a pot from a basin.

"Do you like Ni-chan?"

Miboshi blushed and went back to starting a small fire under the pot. "Well…as a friend, yes."

"I think you're lying." An said very confidently.

"Oh do you?" She raised an eyebrow.

An nodded. "And I think Ni-chan likes you too."

"And why do you think that? We're just friends." Miboshi couldn't help but look back at the sleeping man across the room.

"But wouldn't you like it if it were more?" She asked eagerly.

"An, when did you become so interested in other people's love lives?" Miboshi tried to sound annoyed as she searched for some teacups.

"Since I know Ni-chan likes you and you like him." She put her hands on her hips.

"What makes you so sure?" After finding some cups, she threw some leaves into the bottom of the cup and hoped the water would boil soon.

"Because you're happy around him and he's happy around you. Like when Kohana-ne-chan and Hotohori are together."

The water finally began to boil and Miboshi carefully filled up the cups. "Here." Hoping to change the subject, she handed An the smaller cup. "You really do need to sleep sometime tonight."

An reluctantly took the cup. "I know I'm right. Just wait and see."

Miboshi rolled her eyes and went back to the table. "Nothing's going to happen. I guarantee it." She stirred up the tea with a small spoon.

An joined Miboshi at the table where Nuriko still slept. "But it will! You'll see!"

Nuriko stirred before Miboshi could answer. "See what?"

"Nothing!" Miboshi quickly answered.

"It wasn't nothing!" An protested. "It was--!"

"An, shush! Nuriko, it was girl talk. I'm sure you don't want to hear it." She laughed nervously.

He yawned, only slightly more awake than before his little nap. "Yeah. I'm happy not knowing."

An quietly drank her tea, hoping Miboshi and Nuriko would start talking.

They sat in awkward silence until Nuriko cleared his throat.

"So umm…what kind of tea is that?"

"This? Oh it's umm…it's a special blend my mother made when I was a kid. She taught me how to make it before she died." Miboshi glanced down at the table.

Nuriko winced, wondering if he shouldn't have asked. "Oh."

An rolled her eyes and set down her cup. "Miboshi-ne-chan, let Ni-chan try some."

"Don't you have anymore?" She looked at An.

An held up her cup. "Nope."

She looked at Nuriko. "Do you want to try it?"

"If you don't mind…"

She slid him the cup, trying to be nonchalant. "Doesn't bother me."

He sipped the tea. "Not bad. A little strong."

"I like things strong." She blushed at her words when Nuriko smirked.

"Strong huh?"

"I uh…didn't mean…umm…" She stared at her tea, her hair covering her face.

An Hua's sudden yawn drew their attention. "I'm sleepy Ni-chan…"

"Finally? It took you long enough…" Nuriko stood and picked up his sister. "Then let's go put you to bed." He looked at Miboshi. "You coming?"

She shook her head. "No…I'm gonna finish my tea and clean up. I'm not quite sleepy enough yet. I have to wait a little to get sleepy."

Nuriko nodded and disappeared with his sister, leaving Miboshi alone in the dimly lit kitchen. She finished her drink and washed out the cups. Unsure of what to do until she felt sleepy, she sat back down at the table to think. She stared at the lamp on the table, watching the small flame dance.

Nuriko came back into the kitchen and found her in a trance-like state at the table. She paid no attention to his entrance. He wasn't sure how long he watched her, but he couldn't take his eyes off her.

He watched her in silence until he needed to shift his weight. And he shifted it right on to a loose board in the floor. The ensuing creak seemed louder because of how quiet it had just been.

Miboshi's head snapped up. "Nuriko! How long have you been there?"

He blushed. "I umm…not long…"

She quickly stood up and hurried out the door, somewhat embarrassed.

"Wait Miboshi! I didn't mean to stare!" He ran after her.

She suddenly stopped a few feet into the hallway and buried her face in her hands. "Crap…"

"What? Something wrong?" He ran to catch up with her.

She didn't look up at him and groaned. "I don't remember where my room is…I wandered here and I don't know the palace anyway…"

Nuriko chuckled. "Would you like an escort back?"

"Well…it's either that or find a nice place in the kitchen to sleep." She sighed and shrugged.

They walked in uncomfortable silence for a long time. The rain continued to hammer down around them. Both wanted to strike up conversation but couldn't seem to come up with anything.

Nuriko shoved his hands in his pockets. "So umm…how do you like Konan?"

"Huh?" Miboshi looked up. She hadn't really been paying attention to anything but the rain. "It…it's okay…it's a beautiful country…"

Nuriko nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. He couldn't believe he couldn't come up with any conversation. Usually he never had a hard time talking.

They walked passed An's room where Nuriko stopped for a moment to check on her. Ashitare slept at the foot of her bed, the ever watchful canine guardian.

Miboshi looked over Nuriko's shoulder. "It's funny seeing Ashitare like this…"

"What? Being a baby sitter?" Nuriko quietly closed the door back up.

"Well…being so protective of someone…with the exception of bothering Momo sometimes, he kept to himself in Kutou." She leaned on a post.

"Doesn't seem like the 'keep to himself' type of person to me. An's always dragging him somewhere and he never tells her to go away…" Nuriko crossed his arms, curious to learn more about his sister's favorite playmate.

"Personally I think he's glad there's someone outside of the seishi that isn't afraid of him. People treated him like a monster because of his abilities." She looked outside at the rain. "Life is hard as is, but sometimes I wonder if being a seishi makes it even harder…"

"I guess I can't argue with that…"

She looked up at him. "How long has it been just you and An?"

Now it was Nuriko's turn to stare out the window. "Long enough…" He answered with a tired sigh. His tone of voice and the sigh that followed said more about his time alone than any number could say.

She looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "I know the feeling…that's how long I've been on my own…" He looked up, ready to tell her she had no idea what she was talking about but stopped when he saw her face. He saw the same tired, drawn expression on her face that he saw in the mirror sometimes, late at night. "Where do you get the strength Nuriko?" She asked him quietly.

"Strength for what?" He took her hand and they continued their trip back to Miboshi's room.

"To keep going. Doesn't it seem like it's hopeless sometimes?"

"It does." He answered solemnly. "But I keep going for my sister. I promised my parents I'd take care of her. I won't go back on that…" He squeezed her hand a little tighter. "What about you?"

"I wonder that myself sometimes…" She stared up at the ceiling. "I just keep telling myself there's something better coming…if I can just hang on…I don't really have any other reason to keep this up…" Her hand slid out of his. "I guess that sounds kinda stupid…"

"No…it doesn't…" He smiled. "We all do what we have to in order to keep going. You're a very strong woman Miboshi."

"Me? Strong? I don't think so…" She shook her head.

"I do. You've come far on your own." He stopped in front of another open door. "This is your room right?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She stood in her doorway.

"For bringing you back to your room or for saying you're strong?" He asked with a smile.

She shrugged. "Both I guess."

He reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Miboshi?"

She was too lost in his touch to answer for a moment. "Hmmm?"

"I…I wish I could give you another reason to keep going…" He took a step closer to her and embraced her.

Again, she let herself be lost in him. For the first time in years, she didn't feel the exhaustion of the heart that threatened to swallow her most of the time. She raised her eyes to his. "I think you just did…"

They stared at each other for a few moments before kissing, promising each other to be there no matter what. Nuriko held her as close as he could without hurting her. Miboshi kissed him passionately, not quite believing it was really happening.

She pulled back slightly first. "Nuriko…" She started but Nuriko silenced her with another short kiss.

"Shhh. People are sleeping." He whispered with a smile.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Good night. I'm finally getting tired."

"Good night…" He released her. "You should smile more often. You're beautiful when you do."

She blushed and stepped back into her room. "See you in the morning."

"See you." He smiled and closed her door.

As soon as the door closed, she inhaled deeply, realizing she had nearly forgotten how to breathe. She touched her bottom lip, thinking about what had just happened. _'Maybe An is right…maybe I really do like Nuriko as more than a friend and maybe he feels the same way…or…'_ "Maybe I should just get some sleep now…" She shook her head and fell into the bed. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

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** Hi people! Umm…next chapter won't be up for a while cause see, I'm redoing the first two chapters. I'm still hating how unoriginal they are so I came up with another way to start the story which will hopefully work way better than what is up. I don't know when I'll finish them, but this is just something I have to do or else I'm not sure I can keep going. Yeah. I'm weird like that. Bye for now!**

-Shadow Hawk


	23. Confessions

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate******

**Chapter 23: Confessions******

"Speech"__

_'Thoughts'_****

-Conversations between twins-

* * *

A week or so had passed since Miboshi's nighttime talk with Nuriko. She tried to act like nothing had changed in her life, but it was difficult. Everything in her life seemed brighter.

Nuriko, too, was happier than usual. An was the one that noticed it the most and took it upon herself to ask him what was going on.

She sat on his bed while he got ready for the day. "Ni-chan?"

"Yeah?" He ran his fingers through his messy hair, the extent of his morning hair care, and turned to his sister.

"Did something happen between you and Miboshi-ne-chan last week? You've both been in a good mood since then…"

"What makes you think she had something to do with it?" He asked with a slight blush.

"Well, I'm guessin' something happened after I went to sleep." She stood up on the bed. "Is Miboshi-ne-chan gonna have a baby?"

Nuriko turned bright red. "An! Nothing like that happened."

"Oh." She flopped back down on the bed. "Rats."

"And just why do you sound so disappointed?"

"I wanted to be an aunt." She pouted.

Nuriko sighed and shook his head in order to hide a bigger blush. "An, we don't have that kind of relationship."

"Not yet." She answered confidently.

"What are you? A matchmaker?" He laughed and started fixing her dark blue hair.

She nodded vigorously. "Uh huh! Kohana-ne-chan says I'd be good at it!"

He rolled his eyes and pinned her hair into two buns on the sides of her head. "You hang around Kohana too much."

An giggled and hopped off the bed. "Come on Ni-chan! You know you like her!"

"As a friend, yes." He tried to say it confidently but even Nuriko didn't believe his own words.

"That's the same thing she said and I don't think she believes it either." She pouted.

Nuriko raised an eyebrow. "You really think she likes me?"

"Yeah! And you'd be so cute together!"

Nuriko smiled and rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go the dinning room and wait for breakfast?"

An wrinkled her nose at her brother and dashed out the door. Nuriko sighed again. _'I wonder if An is right…I mean…she didn't stop me from kissing her last week…I really do like her…I've never met anyone like her…'_ He shook his head and left his room. Walking down the hall, he found himself behind Chiriko and Tomo. He could hear them yelling at each other and couldn't help but laugh to himself.

By now, everyone knew they were in love. Nuriko wondered if a relationship between a Suzaku and a Seiryuu seishi would work out. Suddenly a realization hit him. They were in love and didn't care who knew. Tomo made that evident when he kissed her in front of everyone at dinner sometime last week. They would make it work.

It was a comforting thought for him. He did, after a moment or two of quiet thought to himself, realize he loved her. But he was still sure in his mind that she only thought of him as a friend.

He headed down to the dinning room where just about everyone was. He slipped into a chair next to Miboshi. "Morning." He smiled at her.

"Good morning." She smiled back.

Breakfast was served and everyone began to carry out conversations with the people they were near.

Nakago was quieter than normal. Momo looked at her with a bit of concern. "Nakago, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm going to tell everyone…"

"About the baby, you mean?" She looked around Nakago at Soi who was talking to Hotohori and Kohana.

"Yes…better I do this now. It'll be difficult to explain once the baby really starts to grow…"

"Does Soi know you're going to tell?"

She nodded. "We talked about it last night."

"Well, I guess it's now or never right?"

"Indeed…" Nakago pushed her plate away from her place and stood up. Soi was the first one to notice and stopped his conversation with Hotohori. One by one, everyone stopped talking and faced Nakago. "Everyone…I need to make an announcement…"

Kohana looked over at Momo, who smiled and nodded. Everyone else waited quietly.

Nakago took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

No one spoke for a long moment.

Tasuki broke the silence by jumping to her feet. "I knew it!"

Tomo was so shocked he slipped off his chair and landed with a loud thud on the floor. Chiriko whacked him in the back of the head.

"Idiot…"

"Ow…" He picked himself up, embarrassed, and sat back down. "Sorry."

An was the next one to move. She jumped out of her seat and ran around the table to hug Nakago. "Congratulations Miss Nakago!" She smiled widely. "Do ya know if it's gonna be a boy or a girl?"

"A girl." Soi answered with a smile.

An looked at Soi. "Are you the daddy?" He nodded. "What's her name gonna be?"

"We haven't decided yet." Nakago sat back down and finished off her drink. "We still have about 8 months to figure that out."

"I'm sure whatever you pick'll be perfect." An grinned and went back to her seat to finish her breakfast.

After the shock passed, everyone did their best to continue breakfast normally. Though, admittedly, no one really remembered what they had been talking about before Nakago's announcement so they talked about either this news or about another random topic.

Soi and Nakago left the room together after a few other people had left.

"Nakago?"

"Hmmm?"

"There's something we should consider…"

"What?" They stopped in a hallway with a good view of the gardens.

"Marriage."

The word scared Nakago. She had thought about it and hoped Soi hadn't. "What of it?"

"Should we get married?"

She leaned on the wall and chuckled. "Marriage…never thought I'd be having this conversation with anyone…" Soi didn't say anything. Nakago rested her hands on her stomach. "But I want her to know her father…"

"So…is that a yes?"

"Are you actually proposing?" She cast him a sideways glance.

"In a roundabout, informal way, yes."

She was quiet, thinking about her, her coming daughter, Soi…Naraku. "Do you think Naraku will be around when she's born?"

"There's really no way to tell…I certainly hope so."

"If Naraku is gone before she's born, I'll marry you."

"And if we don't defeat Naraku before then?"

"If you still want to get married…we do it when she's born."

Soi embraced her from behind. "The baby needs a name. We can't keep calling her 'she.'"

"I've got a few in mind."

"Really?" He lightly kissed her neck. "Like what?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Why not now?"

"I'm still thinking about them."

Soi rolled his eyes and kissed her again. _'What a life this will be.'_

* * *

Two days later, Kohana, Momo, Piao, Chiriko and Miboshi gathered in one of the bedrooms to talk. One of the spell books that they had gotten from the island was sitting in the middle of their circle of 5. Hime walked around between all the girls.

Miboshi looked at Piao. "So have you figured out how to get rid of her yet?"

"Well…yes and no…" Piao picked up the book and set it in her lap. "I think I found a spell to destroy her or whatever…but I can't exactly read it and neither can Shen."

"Why not?" Kohana asked.

"I've never seen half of the symbols and markings on some of the pages…"

"Lemme see it." Chiriko put her hand out for the book. "Maybe I could figure a little out."

"You're welcome to try." Piao handed her the book.

Chiriko leafed through the book, hoping she could figure out a little. But after flipping through a few pages, she shut it again. "Well, I'm lost."

Momo sighed and lay back on the bed. "Well, we're screwed then. You're supposed to be genius right?"

Kohana kicked Momo in the leg. "We are not screwed so shut up. We can still summon Suzaku and Seiryuu to help."

Momo sat up and rubbed her leg. "Ow. But we don't even know when we're going to do that. That takes a lot of work right?"

_"It does. But in the meantime, I'll train you to fight her…"_ A voice none of them had ever heard before echoed in their heads.

The five girls stared at each other. Momo swallowed hard. "Miboshi, please tell me you're playing mind games with us…"

Miboshi slowly shook her head, wide-eyed as the other four. "Wasn't me…"

"I was afraid of that…"

_"It was me."_ The voice drew their attention to the window where Hime was. A white mist swirled around the cat and when it dissipated, a very elegant young lady stood in the animal's place. She wasn't very tall and had black hair. But she also didn't seem to be completely there, like a cloud.

All the girls wanted to scream, but they couldn't seem to find the ability to make noise. Another part of each one of them sensed no threat from the woman.

"Who are you?" Piao squeaked out.

"Don't you know me Piaoliang?" The woman looked slightly amused.

Kohana looked at Piao. "Do you?"

Piao looked at the woman for a long time. "I certainly feel like I should…"

"Should we be afraid of her?" Momo, who was closest to the woman, scooted away from the window.

The woman laughed, a light laughter that reminded them of bells. "You have nothing to fear from me, Priestess of Seiryuu. I'm here to help."

"Where's my cat?" Kohana suddenly blurted out.

"You're worried about your cat now?!" Chiriko looked at her incredulously.

"In a sense, she is your cat Kohana." Piao said slowly. "She's Naraku's sister…my ancestor. She just uses the form of a cat to move around in our worlds."

The 4 girls stared at her. 'Hime' smiled. "I guess we won't have to start from complete scratch."

Momo held her hands up. "This is all getting way to complicated for me. I never signed up for this."

"Me either." Kohana sighed.

"Girls from your world never know what their gonna get here." Miboshi smiled.

"So you'll teach Shen and me what to do?" Piao looked up at the woman near the window.

She nodded. "That's why I came. I can't fight my sister on my own so I'll train the two of you to do what my fiancé and I never did." She turned to the other girls. "If you don't mind, could you 4 go find that Shen boy and send him here? We really do need to start as soon as possible."

They nodded, dumbfounded, and hurried from the room. They found Shen and hurriedly explained to him what was going on. He quickly left to find Piao.

Miboshi watched the other girls go to the men they loved to tell them what was going on. She blew a strand of hair out of her face. _'Boy, do I wish I had someone to go to.'_ She sighed and walked towards the front doors of the palace. _'I guess I could go for a drink right about now.'_ She pushed open the door and walked down the stairs, past the guards, through the front courtyard and to the front gates.

"Miboshi!" Her hand stopped on the gate when she heard someone calling her.

"Nuriko." She turned to see him walking towards her.

"Hey. Where are you headed?" He asked with a smile.

"I was ah…going to get a drink."

"I was going to a little bar in town. Keep me company?" He offered her his arm.

She slipped her arm through his. "Sure."

"So I heard Piao's ancestor showed up today." They headed out into town.

"Yeah…she did…scared us all speechless for a little while."

"I would think so." He chuckled. "So do we have a chance against her now?"

"I think it's better than it was before. Power isn't enough if you don't know how to use it. At least they'll know how to use it."

He nodded. They had finally come to a small bar Nuriko came to quite often. "So what do you want to drink?"

"Oh I dunno. Nothing too strong. I don't want to get drunk…"

* * *

Later in the day, Nuriko watched in horror as Miboshi downed another glass of alcohol and ordered another one. He wondered if she had really meant it when she said she didn't want to get drunk.

Miboshi stared at the newest glass in front of her. She giggled. "It's dancing…"

Nuriko looked up at her. "What's dancing Mi-chan?"

She eagerly pointed at her glass. "The glasses! All four of 'em!"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her and the glass. "Uh…are you completely drunk?"

"I'm not drunk! Just happy!" She shakily grabbed the glass and swallowed it in one gulp. "Yummy!"

"Miboshi…just how much have you had?" He looked at her nervously.

She proudly held up five fingers. "Three!"

Nuriko pushed down two of her fingers. "Three?" _'Why do I think it's more than 5?'_

Miboshi's violet eyes widened like she'd never seen her hand before. Then she started laughing. "Look! It's my hand!"

Nuriko let out and exasperated sigh. "You're not drunk…you're wasted…"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You're so mean!" Then she saw his glass. "What cha drinkin'?"

He looked at his own glass. "Uh…it's called a Nuriko special…" _'Please don't ask for it… Please don't ask for it…'_

She reached for it. "Can I try it?"

_'Damn._' He pulled it a little closer to him. "Uh…I don't think it's wise to drink so much…"

She slapped his hand hard. "You're being mean again!"

He blinked and rubbed his hand _'Well…if she gets too drunk, she'll pass out…at least that will stop her drinking…'_ He let her have the glass. "Fine…just don't drink to much."

She drank about half of what was in the glass. Her face scrunched up a great deal. "Wow! Yummy!" She started to tip over, but was still giggling.

His eyes widened and he caught her before she fell to the floor. "Whoa there! Don't drink so fast!"

She stared up at him. "You have big, green buggy eyes!"

He raised one eyebrow. "Oh I do?"

She giggled hysterically. "Yeah! You look funny!"

He chuckled. "I bet…No more drinks…okay?"

She sat back up. "Okay…I'm sleepy anyways…" She suddenly passed out on top of him.

He caught her and sighed. "That was quick…"

The bartended looked at Nuriko and the unconscious Miboshi. "Will you be goin' now, Mr. Nuriko?"

He nodded. "I guess so…"

"I'd be careful with that one. Haven't seen a woman put so much away in a while."

He managed a small smile. "Yeah…I bet…"

The bartender wiped a glass clean. "Well, have a nice night."

He sighed and picked her up. "You sure can put it away…" He smiled as he carried her outside.

Nuriko suddenly felt her cuddle close to him. "You smell nice Nuri-chan…"

He turned a deep shade of red and looked down at her. "What?!" She didn't answer him though. She was asleep again and snoring slightly.

He raised an eyebrow and sighed. _'Hmm…I kinda wish she would get drunk more often…'_ He shook his head and carried her to an inn. _'I can't bring her back to the palace like this. This place looks fine I guess…'_

The innkeeper looked up when he heard the bell. "Evenin' sir. What can I do for you?" He saw Miboshi and raised an eyebrow.

"I need a room. Preferably with two beds if you don't mind."

"We're all outta the room wit' two beds. But what would ya want with two beds anyway? One should be enough for the two o' ya." He smirked

Nuriko's eyes narrowed when he realized what he man meant. His symbol flared up. "Because a real man doesn't do that. Right?" He leaned against the counter.

The man's eyes widened and he stumbled backwards. "Nuriko-sama! Sir! I didn't realize who you was! Sorry!"

"Yeah, well now you know." He calmed down and the glow went away. "I guess we'll take a one bed room then."

"Y-You can have the room at the end of the hall…it's free…"

Nuriko blinked a few times. "Really? Ya sure?"

"J-just go ahead. It's just one room after all."

He smiled. "Thank you then."

"Have a nice night sir…"

He headed down the hallway. "Well, that was nice." He chuckled and looked down at Miboshi. "You must be good luck."

She woke up a little bit. "Huh? Where are we?"

"We're at an inn. You need some sleep."

"Okay…"

He smiled at her and put her down on the bed. "You might have a headache in the morning…I told you not to drink so much."

She sat up and started crying. "I'm sorry I'm such trouble Nuriko…"

He looked hurt and brushed her forest green hair out of her eyes. "Mi-chan…you aren't trouble…"

She shook her head furiously. "Yes I am! I bet you hate me now!" She curled up into a little ball in the middle of the bed.

_'Well…she is really drunk now…I guess that's why she's so upset over nothing…'_ He gently rubbed her back. "I don't think you're any trouble…and I don't hate you."

She rolled away from him. "I've always been trouble for everyone for the people I care about! I'm so stupid! I'm sorry…"

"Miboshi, listen to me!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up. He pushed the strands of hair that covered her face away. "You're not stupid and I don't hate you." He cupped her cheek with one hand and kissed her gently. "I don't…I…I lo…"

She stared up at him with big tear-filled eyes. "I love you Nuriko…"

His eyes widened. "Wh-what?!" _'Does she really mean that?'_ Suddenly she fell over again, out like a light. He sighed, a little disappointed. "Yup…She's wasted…" _'Could she really have meant that? Or is she just saying random drunken things? …And why do I hope she was serious?' _He shifted her to the top of the bed and pulled the covers over her. "'Night Mi-chan."

Her hand suddenly shot out to grab his sleeve. "Nuri…please stay…" She sounded pitiful.

He looked down at her. Her eyes were barely open. "I don't think…"

Tears began to fall from her eyes. "Please…I don't want to be alone anymore…" She nearly choked on her own words. "I can't stand it anymore. Just for one night I want to have someone near me…it's so cold…please. Just once…"

Nuriko felt pain in his chest. He knew how she felt. Even with An around, he still felt cold and alone. Yet around her, it wasn't so cold. "You're never alone…ever." He slid under the covers with her. "That better?"

She curled up against him and cried softly. "Nuriko…" He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close. He wrapped his other arm around her and gently rubbed her back. As her sobs subsided, she rested her head on his chest and fell asleep.

"Sleep well Mi-chan…" He watched her for a long time. All he wanted was to make her happy. He loved her and planned on telling her as soon as he could.

* * *

-Shadow Hawk


	24. Family Reunions

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate******

**Chapter 24: Family Reunions******

"Speech"__

_'Thoughts'_****

-Conversations between twins-

I'm sorry about the long wait. I lost it when school started and I still don't really have it back yet. This chapter has taken like a month and a half to do. For future reference, when I'm gone for a long time, check the bottom of my bio for my status. I try to update that every two weeks just to prove I'm not completely dead. That way you'll know what's going on with me.

* * *

Somewhere the sound of nails clicking against stone echoed through a vast, dark, palace. Inside a room lit with purple a black flames, a white haired woman sat on an obsidian throne. Naraku hissed at an image of Miboshi and Nuriko sleeping peacefully together somewhere in Konan.

"Stupid mortals…" She spat and waved her hand in front of the looking glass. Everything was still for a moment. Suddenly the glass split into two evenly cut halves and crashed to the ground. Naraku watched a stray piece of glass bounce towards her foot and slide to a stop. "I may not have my mirror of souls anymore, but I'll still crush them…including my sister. She'll rue the day she stood against me with that stupid boy…"

She slowly got off her throne and walked to another wall mounted mirror. She whispered a small incantation and the black mirror shimmered showing another scene to the dark magician. The image seemed to spark something in the back of her mind.

She cackled loudly. "Why didn't I do this before? I'll have the upper hand this time." She passed her hand over her amulet and disappeared.

The image left on the mirror was of a quiet house in the real world. A black-haired woman sat in a large chair, intently reading an old Chinese novel. A gentle breeze made a strand of her hair fall in her face. Unnerved by the sudden wind, she looked up. She opened her mouth to scream but it never came out. She disappeared in a flash of black light and the book fell to the floor.

* * *

The bright sun and noise of the outside world woke Miboshi up before Nuriko. The first thing that came into focus was the room. She didn't know where she was. It certainly wasn't her room in the palace. Second, she heard someone else's breathing. "H-huh? What the?" She moved her head a bit and realized she had been sleeping on top of Nuriko. Her face took on a deep red color and she tried to wiggle out of her arms.

"Mi-chan…" He moaned, still asleep.

Her blush deepened. "Nu-Nuriko?" She gently poked him. "What's going on?

Instead of waking up, he pulled her closer. "…Never 'lone…Mi-chan…"

A look of shock and horror flashed across her face. She felt tears sting the corners of her eyes. _'Oh Seiryuu, what happened last night?! What did I say to him?! I must have been drunk! He must think I'm a fool!'_ She panicked and pulled away from him more forcefully.

He groaned and started to wake up. "Mi…boshi…" His eyes opened all the way and he blushed. "Oh…Uh…Sorry…" He let her get up.

She bit back a whimper from the sudden loss of contact with him and sat up painfully. "Ow…my head…Wh-what was I doing last night?" She smelled her shirt and made a face. "Was I drunk? I don't remember…" She desperately tried not to show how panicked she was but she had the feeling she wasn't doing a good job.

He chuckled lightly, now fully awake. "You…you weren't drunk…"

"But it feels like you punched me in the head…" She cradled her head in her hands.

He laughed harder. "You weren't drunk. You were wasted."

She quickly lowered her head, hiding her eyes from his. "Oh Seiryuu…I don't remember anything from last night…did I do anything particularly embarrassing I should know about?"

He reached out and gently made her face him. "You said you loved me."

She gasped in horror. "I did what?!" She quickly moved to the edge of the bed. _'Ugh…it's a miracle I didn't try to go all the way with him. I can't believe myself…'___

He watched her for a moment. Last night, he wanted to confess his love for her, but now he wasn't so sure he should. _'She didn't mean it…it was just the alcohol…but I still love her…I should at least say something to her to make her feel better…'___

She felt herself start to cry again. _'Now he must really thing I'm nuts…why'd I have to go and ruin everything by getting drunk last night? We were getting so close. I really do love him but how could I tell him that? I must have been stark raving drunk. He'll never take me seriously again.'_ She never noticed him approach her and wrap his arms around her shaking body.

He rested his chin on her head and gently pulled her closer. "I'll forget about last night if you want me to…" He whispered sadly though knowing he'd never be able to.

She pushed away from his warm embrace, embarrassed and unable to face him. "I really am sorry Nuriko…I really am nothing but trouble…"

He frowned. "Don't say that Mi-chan…"

She bent her head forward letting her hair cover her face. "I don't know why I get drunk like that…I know it's not the first time I've been hopelessly drunk. I drink to forget how miserable I am…but it usually just makes things worse. Seems like I haven't been able to fully figure that out yet…" She slumped forward, vaguely aware of her tears falling to the floor.

"Miboshi…" He frowned. He hated to see her so depressed but it didn't seem like she heard him at all. He opened his mouth to speak when she began talking again.

"I really do love you Nuriko…honest I do…since…I don't even know since when…" Her eyes didn't move from the floor. "I was always thinking about telling you, but the alcohol made me do it…" She stood up and started to leave to room, laughing bitterly at herself. "I can't believe how stupid I am…"

He got up from the bed and grabbed her arms with a speed that would have impressed Tasuki. "Wait. Please. Miboshi…do you really…?" His voice trailed off slowly.

She looked up at him with a tear-streaked face. "I love you Nuriko…" She tried to loosen his grip on her sleeves. "I better go…"

"No…please don't." He swept her into his arms, wanting never to let her go. "Oh Miboshi…I love you too…" His voice was hoarse and Miboshi wondered if he was crying. "I love you so much." He whispered as he nuzzled her neck.

She held him close, fearful that perhaps she was having some hangover induced dream. "Nuriko…I…"

"Shhh…" He whispered in her ear. "I should have told you sooner…I wanted to tell you last night…then when you looked so horrified about last night…I thought…" She kissed him softly and smiled for the first time that day.

"Maybe you should get drunk once in a while like me."

He chuckled, happy to see her smile again. "Yeah…maybe…" He kissed more passionately, picking her up and bringing her back to the bed.

They lay together quietly while everything they'd been though seemed to sink in. Nuriko watched her lovingly as she drew patterns on his chest with her finger. "Miboshi…" He reached up to lace his fingers with hers.

"Yes?" She blushed under his gaze. No one had ever looked at her the way he did.

"I swear I'll never let you feel alone again." He squeezed her hand a bit tighter.

Tears brimmed in her eyes again. "Nuriko…" She buried her face in his chest and began to cry.

He was about to ask if she was okay but stopped. Somehow he knew she was crying because she was happy, not because she was upset. He sat up enough to cradle her against his chest and lightly kiss the top of her head. "Miboshi…I'll protect you from now on. I'll do anything to make sure your safe."

She looked up at him and wiped away the last of her tears. "Anything?"

"Of course."

"Even if your own life was in danger?" She asked hesitantly.

"If it meant you'd be safe, I'd sacrifice myself to Naraku."

Her gaze shifted from his to the wall. Fresh tears formed in her eyes. "Please don't say that…"

He looked a little confused. "Don't say what?"

"That you'd die for me. I don't want that." He looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to continue. "Dying is easy…" She whispered, slowly looking back at him. "It's living that takes a miracle…"

Nuriko was silent for a moment, understanding what she meant. He smiled gently. "Alright. I promise I'll live for you."

Miboshi smiled happily and nestled in his arms again. "Do you think the rest of the palace is awake yet?"

"Probably…it's pretty late already. We probably missed breakfast…"

"I guess we should go then huh? I could really use a clean shirt."

"I wonder what An's going to say…" He wondered aloud as they got up.

"That she told me so." Miboshi yawned.

"What?" Nuriko ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it a little.

"That night none of us could sleep…while you were nodding off at the table, she and I were talking about you…"

"I thought you said you were talking about 'girl stuff.'"

"We were…she was trying to convince me that I liked you more than I would admit and that you felt the same."

Nuriko smiled. "We had that conversation too. An is very persistent…"

"She wants you to be happy. She knows you've given up a lot to take care of her." Miboshi slipped her hand into his.

"Well, I know I couldn't be happier now." He led her out of the room and they headed back to the palace.

Once inside the palace courtyard, Miboshi headed to the bath house to wash up and Nuriko went back to his room to get fresh clothes. He pulled a clean shirt and pair of pants out and went to toss them on the bed. But he stopped just before he let go. An was sitting on his bed, arms crossed, looking angry. "Morning An…" He smiled nervously.

"Don't you 'Morning An' me, Nuriko. Where'd you go last night? And with Miboshi-ne-chan?"

Her tone of voice scared him. And she also almost never called him Nuriko. "I…she…we…ah…"

And stood up on the bed, reaching about to his chest. She poked him hard, at least hard for a small child. "Everyone's been worried about you two. We didn't know where you went."

Nuriko opened his mouth but couldn't seem to think of anything to say. He'd never seen her so angry. She almost didn't seem like his sister. "An…we just…"A sudden giggling stopped him and he raised an eyebrow. When he looked back at An, she was beginning to smile. "An?"

The giggling got louder accompanied by someone else's laughter. Nuriko turned around and saw Kohana in his doorway, biting back her giggles to the best of her ability. An broke out into giggles as well. "You look funny when you're freaked Ni-chan."

"I'm sure…" He muttered under his breath. "Did the two of you decide to do this last night while I was out with Miboshi?"

"Of course we did." Kohana laughed. "We needed something to keep ourselves busy."

Nuriko rolled his eyes. An jumped from the bed into Nuriko's arms. "Ni-chan, are you and Miboshi-ne-chan going to have a baby now? I still wanna be an aunt."

Nuriko turned on Kohana, thinking she put the idea in her head. She held her hands up, still snickering. "I didn't tell her to say that. She did that on her own."

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Would you guys just get out of here? I need to change." He wasn't mad, just not in the mood to deal with them.

Kohana quickly left Nuriko's room. An looked up at Nuriko. "I'll go, but first I gotta ask something."

He set her on the floor. "Yeah?"

"You and Miboshi-ne-chan are together now, right?" She looked hopeful but still unsure.

He chuckled and bent down to give her a hug. "Yeah, we are. You were right."

She immediately brightened and hugged him. "Told ya! So are you gonna get married and have a baby?"

"That's enough out of you. We haven't talked about that. I just told her I love her this morning."

"Fine, I can wait." She scurried out of the room. "Don't take too long." Nuriko smiled and closed the door.

* * *

Suboshi leaned against a window frame, staring out at the sky. He had felt uneasy all day. Things had been a little too quiet lately.

"Suboshi, are you okay?"

He turned slightly to see his brother in his doorway, looking at him questioningly. "I'm…fine…why?"

"I've passed by your room a few times today and it doesn't seem like you've moved."

"It's nothing." He shook his head. "I just think it's been a little too quiet."

"Too quiet?"

"Don't you think it's odd that Naraku hasn't been around? You'd think she'd know her sister is back and training Piao and Shen to fight her. She seems to know everything else."

Amiboshi joined his brother at the window. "I never really thought about it…you would think she'd know…"

"But maybe I shouldn't say anything. She'll probably show up soon…"

"She does a habit of showing up when we get comfortable."

"Suboshi? Amiboshi?" The twins turned to see Momo in the door way. She smiled at Suboshi. "Lunch is ready so whenever you guys want to come, you can."

"Thanks Momo." Suboshi smiled back, making her blush a little. "We'll be there in a bit." She nodded and went on her way.

Within the dinning room, everyone was carrying on their own conversations with the people around them. Everyone except for Kohana. She stared at her food never actually touching it. Tasuki nudged her a little. "Hey, you okay? You haven't touched your food."

"I'm fine…" She mumbled. "Just not very hungry…"

"Come on Kohana, something's wrong, isn't it?" Tasuki always seem to be the most perceptive to Kohana's moods. Ever since they had recruited Tasuki, the pirate captain seemed to have filled the roll of big brother and big sister for the young priestess.

"Really…I'm fine." Kohana pushed her plate away and stood up. "I'll be in my room. Excuse me." She left the room drawing very little attention to herself.

Tasuki frowned. It was obvious that something was wrong, it was just a matter of finding out what. _'I could make her tell me…but I don't think she'd appreciate that…neither would Hotohori if I ended up getting her upset…maybe Hotohori could get her to open up…they're practically married as is…'_

After everyone finished eating, Tasuki followed Hotohori out of the dinning hall. "Hotohori! Got some time?"

"A little bit, yes. Is something the matter?" He slowed his pace and he and Tasuki walked down the hall together.

"Not with me but…I think something's wrong with Kohana…"

Hotohori immediately got concerned. "Why?"

"She seemed depressed today…hardly touched breakfast…I thought she'd be better after Nuriko and Miboshi came back together but she was depressed at lunch again…"

Hotohori pondered Tasuki's words. "I'll check on her."

"She said she'd be in her room." Tasuki watched Hotohori headed down the hall. _'Hope she's okay…Hotohori should be able to help her…'_

Hotohori gently knocked on Kohana's door. "Kohana? May I come in?" His brow furrowed when she didn't respond. He knocked again but there was no response. Worried, he opened the door and walked in.

To his relief, he found Kohana asleep on the bed. Upon closer inspection, two things caught his eye. The first thing he noticed was that she had been crying. Second, he found a picture lying on the bed next to her. There were 3 people in the picture besides her: a baby, a man and a woman who looked like an older Kohana.

_'Her family…'_ He sat on the edge of her bed and brushed her hair from her face. "Kohana…"

She shifted slightly and opened her eyes slightly. "Hotohori…"

"Tasuki's worried about you…she said you seemed depressed."

She sighed. "It's nothing really…"

"We can't help if you don't tell us what's wrong…"

"It's nothing anyone can really help with…" She rolled over and sat up.

"Kohana…It hurts to see you so depressed. Please tell me what's bothering you." He slipped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

She was quiet for a moment, enjoying his presence. "It's two things I guess…I've had something on my mind recently that I want to talk to my sister about…goodness knows I can't do that…" She moved out of his arms and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"And the other thing?" He asked softly after a moment of silence passed without her continuing.

"Just a feeling…" She started slowly. "I just feel like Naraku'll be back soon…"

Hotohori wrapped on arm around her. "I think everyone feels that way. And if it's true, we'll fight back like we always do."

She leaned on his shoulder. "This time feels different…"

He gently kissed her forehead. "It'll all be okay Kohana. I promise."

"I hope you're right." Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Yes?"

The door opened and Shen stepped inside. "Am I interrupting?" He glanced back and forth between the priestess and emperor.

"No. We were just talking. What is it?" Hotohori let Kohana go so that they could both face Shen.

"She's coming. Piao felt her before I did…but she'll be here soon."

"Well, let's go meet her." Kohana slid off the bed and went for the door, followed closely by Hotohori.

Outside, most of the other seishi were already waiting. In the sky black clouds seemed to form out of nowhere.

"Fantastic…" Nakago muttered under her breath. "Now she has to make a special entrance…"

"She's just looking to intimidate us…" Chiriko frowned. "All puff, no power."

No sooner did Chiriko finish her phrase than a lightning bolt stuck the ground, just missing the blonde seishi. Everyone jumped back and Chiriko jumped at Tomo. He rolled his eyes. "Had to open your mouth, didn't you?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You're so sleeping alone tonight."

"Hey! I…"

Momo angrily cleared her throat. "Would you two talk about that some place private after we're not worried about whether or not we'll see tonight?"

The two mumbled an apology and turned their attention to the matter at hand. A dark bubble hovered a few meters in the air in front of them. "You all came out to see me, isn't that wonderful?" Naraku's small form emerged from the black globe. She glared down at her sister, standing between Shen and Piao. "Should I be afraid?"

"You never should have come back, Sister." Hime said calmly.

Naraku hissed. "I don't have a sister." Her eyes suddenly turned to Kohana. "You on the other hand…"

Kohana's eyes immediately darkened. "How'd you know about my sister?"

She laughed loudly. "I made the most of the time I had you trapped in my precious mirror. Your memories were quite interesting."

Suboshi grabbed Momo as she attempted to lunge at the demon woman. "You had no right to do that!"

"Temper, temper." She chided, waving her finger back and forth. "But I suppose that's what happens to a girl whose parents don't love her enough to stay around and teach her manners."

Momo's face turned red and tears stung her eyes. "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" She fought against Suboshi's grip on her. "Let me go Suboshi! She's gonna pay for that!" His grip didn't falter.

"Don't I, Priestess?" She smiled in a calm, evil manner. "I've seen everything."

Momo squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to listen to Naraku no matter how right it seemed she was. Suboshi held her closer. "You're loved here Momo…don't forget that." Her body relaxed slightly in his arms.

Kohana's eyes had shifted from Naraku to the dark bubble that still floated behind her. "Why'd you start talking about my sister? Did you do something to her? If you did, I swear I'll…"

"Don't worry, little priestess. She's fine…for now."

"For now? Where is she?!" A note of panic rose in her voice. The bubble behind her floated forward and dissolved. A black haired woman, both tired and angry, emerged from the darkness, bound by black thorny vines. Kohana gasped in horror. "Ayame!"

Miboshi looked at Nuriko. "Is that her sister?"

"I think so…I've never seen her before, but she does look like Kohana…"

The woman above them tossed her head back so her hair would no longer cover her face. "Leave my sister alone!" Ayame's sapphire eyes burned determinately despite the fact that she looked like she'd gone through hell. "And you better let me go or you'll be sorry!" She struggled to free at least one arm but only succeeded in giving herself more shallow cuts from the thorny vines. Naraku only smiled at her attempts to free herself.

"Well, now we know where you get your spunk from." Tasuki rested a hand on Kohana's shoulder.

Kohana tried to manage a smile but her eyes remained on her sister. "What do you want Naraku?"

"Who cares what she wants? Let's just attack." Nakago raised her hand, already glowing blue. A few other seishi followed suit and got ready to attack.

Naraku pulled Ayame forward, putting her in the seishis' line of fire. "I suggest you don't do that. Wouldn't want the blood of two innocent people on your hands, would you?"

"Two?" Ashitare asked, glancing at Kohana.

Kohana stared at the ground. "Ayame's a few months pregnant…if anything happens to her…well…it happens to her daughter too…"

Nakago immediately lowered her arm. She couldn't bear the thought of accidentally hurting a child while she herself was awaiting her first. The others lowered their weapons as well.

"That's better." Naraku smirked. "Now…so long as you don't try anything stupid, she'll be fine."

* * *

-Shadow Hawk


	25. Sisterly Advice

Disclaimer: Kohana, Momo, Piaoliang Feng, Shen Yuan, Naraku, An Hua, Ayame and Ruri are my characters. The personalities and looks of the new seishi are mine.

**Red Wings of Fate**

**Chapter 25: Sisterly Advice**

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

Sigh So, how long's it been? Half a year since I did anything? I'm not really sure what happened. School problems, computer problems, life problems, I guess it was a mix of things. The end of high school is just coming too fast. If anyone's still reading I guess I'm still writing. Though I suppose even if no one is, I'll still write.

* * *

The group of seishi and their priestesses stared helplessly at Ayame. None of them wanted to think of what would happen to her if they disobeyed Naraku. Kohana desperately tried to hold back her tears. It was the first time she's seen her sister in months and it seemed like it could be the last. 

Piaoliang broke the silence when she stepped forward. "What do you want Naraku?"

"I want your powers." She glared at Piaoliang and Shen. "You're standing between me and what I want. So…" She snapped her fingers and in a flash of black fire, a blood red crystal appeared in her hand. "If you want this woman to live, you had better surrender."

Piaoliang and Shen glanced at Kohana before looking at each other. Piaoliang looked up at Ayame again. "What choice do we have?"

"Are you saying we should?"

"I'm not sure what I'm saying…" She shook her head sadly.

"Don't you dare do what she says!" Ayame barked at the two young mages. "She'll just stab you in the back!"

"Shut up!" Naraku hissed and slashed her nails across Ayame's face. She winced as she felt blood run down her cheek. "I'm surprised you have the energy to talk yet…" She added under her breath, making her voice sound more like the hiss of a deadly viper.

"Leave her alone!" Kohana tried to run at Naraku only to be stopped by Nuriko. "Let go of me Nuriko! I won't let her hurt my sister!" She elbowed him sharply in the ribs, but his grip was just too tight.

"Kohana, you can't fight her. You know she's too strong. She could kill you in the blink of an eye if she wanted to. We can't just run at her."

Hime's eyes narrowed as she elevated herself to her sister's level. "Put her down Sister. Your issue is with me, not her. We never did get a chance to finish our fight."

Naraku lifted her chin in an arrogant matter. "You won when we were alive but you can't win now. Your betrothed isn't with you and I've honed my powers over the centuries we've been out of the mortal coil. I'm going to be stronger than you this time."

"You're still alone." Hime spat back. "Hatred will only get you so far. Love will always win in the end. I'm just telling you. Sister to sister."

"Mindless drivel." Naraku hissed. She turned to Ayame. "Do you really care what happens to your sister considering everything she's done to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Ayame stared down at Kohana. On the ground, Kohana stood, motionless, afraid to even breathe.

"She ruined your life, didn't she?" Naraku laughed. "If she hadn't been born, your parents would still be alive. You'd have the life you wanted."

"Enough of your lies, Naraku!" Shen yelled up at her. "Let her go."

Naraku glared at Shen but largely ignored him. "Think about it, Ayame. She killed your parents, making you leave your childhood behind and turn into a mother. She made you _miserable_." Ayame closed her eyes, trying not to listen. "She destroyed your life one little piece at a time." Naraku grabbed Ayame's hair and yanked her head up, forcing her to stare at her baby sister. "Look at her. Look at the face that destroyed your happiness. Everything was fine before her. Little sisters are such a bother aren't they?"

"Ayame…" Kohana hardly felt Hotohori's arms around her body. Naraku's words hit her harder than they did Ayame. For her whole life, she had felt guilty about living when her parents hadn't. "I'm sorry…"

A dark, foreboding silence hung in the palace courtyard. Ayame's head slumped forward. Naraku chuckled.

"It's so easy to win once you find a weakness." She raised her arm over her head and launched a volley of black fireballs at the seishi on the ground. Panic swept across the ground as the seishi tried to get out of the way. Naraku's triumphant cackle echoed across the courtyard as the dust cleared.

No one was mortally wounded but some were hurt badly. Suboshi's shoulder was badly burned from protecting Momo. Miboshi had passed out, more likely from hitting her head on the ground than the actually attack. Soi slowly pushed himself up on the wall he was blown into. Chichiri fell awkwardly and grimaced in pain when she felt her wrist snap. Tasuki gasped in pain at her burned leg. Mitsukake cradled his head in his hands as he tried to clear his vision.

The others rushed to check on their teammates as Naraku brought herself and Ayame to the ground. She approached Hime, Piao and Shen. "Now surrender or they will all die." She held out the crystal again. "Next time, I'll go after the priestesses. Then, Nakago and her child. Then I'll just pick and choose until I get to you three."

"Don't you ever shut up?" Ayame groaned from behind her.

Naraku looked at the wounded woman. "Still awake? You should have been trapped in your own tragic illusions by now."

"I'm not that stupid." Ayame took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. I could never believe what you said. I have the life I want. Kohana took nothing from me."

Both Naraku and Kohana looked on in disbelief as Ayame seemed to just fall out of the thorny vines around her. "Don't you hate her for what she did?"

Ayame shook her head. "I did once. I thought everything was her fault…but that was when I was young. I grew up and there's no point in sacrificing what you have for what you had. Kohana is my sister, my only sister. Nothing can change that." She began to slowly walk towards Naraku. "I pity you Naraku. It didn't have to be like this with your sister. You could have been friends."

"No…" By now Naraku was speechless with rage.

"Yes!" Ayame yelled with all the force she could manage. "You could have moved past what happened. You could have been happy for your sister. Then you wouldn't have suffered for centuries waiting to have your petty vengeance!"

"Petty? You're calling me petty? I've torn people limb from limb for less that that!" She screamed and lunged at Ayame. But just as her claws were about to reach Ayame's body, she stopped cold.

Behind Naraku, Ayame could see Piao pointing at Naraku's back, her hand glowing faintly white. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Piao muttered as Naraku turned on her.

Naraku touched her back and drew back a hand covered in black blood. "It's been a long time since someone has actually hurt me, you know that? It's funny…" She sounded almost amused at the thought of pain. "It's been a long time since I've felt anything. And even though you broke my mirror, I still had the power to create a new earthly body. Pain is an interesting sensation. I'd thank you if I wasn't so angry." She bent her head down and licked the blood off her fingers. She looked almost disappointed. "It's cold…I'll bet yours is warm." She gave Piao a predatory grin.

"Let Ayame go Naraku…or you'll be more than injured." Piao swallowed hard. She tried not to show her fear but she was pretty sure Naraku could see it anyway. Her mind was racing as she and Naraku stared each other down. _'How did this all happen to me? Wasn't it just a few months ago that I was just a maid in the Konan palace secretly in love with my best friend? Now what? He and I are what stand between a demon woman and the rest of the world? But then…it's not just me. A few months ago we were all normal people. Now out two countries are at a better peace than they ever have been. Nakago walks down the hallway with Hotohori and no one worries…maybe we're finally at peace. But then maybe I shouldn't hold my breath…'_

Naraku's eyes narrowed as she approached Piaoliang, forgetting about Ayame's fallen form behind her. "Do you think I'm afraid of a little whelp like you?"

"No…I don't."

Now the dark sorceress stood near inches from the young girl. No one else moved. "I'd say if anything, you're afraid of me. After all, you hardly stand a chance against me. You don't know anything about what it means to be a mage. Maybe if you run now and stay out of my way, I'll be generous and let you live."

"I am afraid of you…but that doesn't mean I won't fight you. And you're a fool to think I wouldn't fight for my world just because of fear." Before Naraku could respond to her, Piao flung another white ball of energy forward, hitting Naraku square in the chest.

She stumbled backwards more out of surprise than actually getting hurt but she was mad. "You certainly have more guts than Hime…I'll get you for this." She hissed at Piao.

Naraku screeched again and went for Piao's throat. Her nails merged into one long blade as she closed in on her target. Fear pinned her feet to the ground and her arms to her sides. Time slowed as the white-haired demon mistress smiled at the thought of killing her sister's distant relation.

She was so distracted by the thought of Piaoliang's warm blood on her hands that she never saw the blot of lightning followed by a flash of light and steel right in front of her. But she certainly felt cold steel slice through her skin and electricity jolt through her body.

This time, the pain was blinding. She fell backwards gasping for breath she hadn't needed for hundreds of years. Her body convulsed once before she regained her vision. In front of her, Soi and Shen stood calmly. Hotohori stood off the one side. His sword still crackled with electricity, obviously powered by Soi. She stared incredulously at the weapon.

"How did…how could your weapon do this to me? Even if it is a holy sword…it's just not possible…" She rasped. The pain was far more profound than what she felt when Piao attacked her. A dark liquid flowed freely from the wound in her side. The blade that had once been part of her hand lay shattered on the courtyard stones, tiny islands in the growing lake of dark blood.

Shen raised his chin. "Normally they couldn't do that damage to you…but a properly cast spell can cut through even your defenses."

Naraku hissed in pain and frustration. "So you've learned how to do a little damage…Just don't think this means you'll win. I'll be back and your little magic tricks won't do anything to me."

In a flash, Naraku flew backwards and with an ear-piercing scream, let a huge wave of energy, knocking everyone backwards. Piao felt herself crash into someone else as she flew backwards. Her first thought was that Naraku had lost it and killed her. But no…she wasn't dead. Being dead wasn't supposed to hurt and she most definitely felt a pain in her shoulder. She could hear soft breathing above her.

"Piao? Can you hear me?" She could feel someone gently shaking her.

"Mmm…huh?" She shifted painfully and found herself looking into a pair of hazel eyes. "Shen? What happened?"

He smiled. "I'd say you got her a little pissed off…"

Piao smiled and started to say something when she heard Kohana.

"Ayame!" Her voice was shrill and panicked. She was the first one up after the blast and she scrambled across the courtyard to the fallen form of her older sister. "Ayame!" She stumbled to the ground next to Ayame. The older woman lay unconscious and bleeding on the stone-covered ground. "Oh Suzaku no…Ayame please say something!" Kohana began sobbing next to her sister.

Momo struggled to her feet and went to Mitsukake. "Hey…get up…Mitsukake…Ayame needs help now…" She touched her own shoulder and winced. She had skidded pretty far across the stones and cut up her side pretty badly.

Mitsukake groaned and rolled over. "Where…is she?"

"Over there…" Momo weakly pointed.

He shook the stars from his eyes and got to his feet. Even from where he was, he could see blood streaked across Ayame's white blouse and face. Alarmed when he remembered Ayame's pregnancy, he ran as fast as he could to her side.

Luckily, Ayame was still breathing though he was still worried about the child.

"You can help her right?" Kohana looked pleadingly at him. "She's not going to die, is she?"

Mitsukake shook his head. "No. She'll be fine." _'I hope…'_ He held his left hand out over her body. A warm light surrounded her and the gashes and bruises slowly started to fade. The number of her injuries made his worry grow but he said nothing about it. Kohana was upset enough. No need to make her worry more. _'I wonder how long Naraku had her…she couldn't have gotten all these from just now…'_

The injuries healed well and her shallow breathing deepened but she didn't open her eyes. Kohana looked up at Mitsukake. "She'll be okay, right?"

He nodded, satisfied with her condition. "She needs rest, but she'll be okay."

"And her baby?"

"Seems fine. Almost as if nothing happened." Mitsukake steadied Kohana as she swayed slightly from a sudden dizzy spell. "I think we should all go inside. Seems I have a lot of work to do tonight." He sighed to himself as palace medics began to come outside to help the injured seishi inside.

* * *

Later in the evening after everyone was bandaged up and settled down, Kohana settled into her own room, silently writing down the events of the day for her own memory. After a long length of silence, she heard a knock at her door. 

"Come in."

Piao opened the door and stepped in. "Hey…how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. A little bruised but nothing to worry about." Kohana slipped her pen in her diary and set it to the side. "You?"

"I'm okay. Shaken but nothing's broken." She sat on Kohana's bed. "Umm, if you don't mind me asking…why aren't you with Ayame?"

"She's still asleep right?" Piao nodded. "There's no reason I should sit around and wait for her to wake up. She won't get up any faster if I hang around her, right?"

"I suppose not." Piao was quite for a moment. "So she raised you?"

Kohana nodded. "For about 2 years, it was just her and me. We had her friends but we more or less did a lot alone. Then Ayame met her husband and everything was okay…now I don't know what I'm doing…" She looked down at the floor.

"What do you mean?"

"I love it here…I've met the best friends I've ever had, the man I love more than anything is here…but I don't know if I could leave my family. I want to stay but I don't know if I can…"

Piao frowned. It hadn't been since Kohana's trip back to her world that she'd even thought about Kohana leaving. It was always in the back of her mind, but she refused to acknowledge sometimes that Kohana was from a different world, that maybe after Naraku was destroyed, she may leave for good. "I wish I could help you…but I know that all I'll do is try to make you stay…"

Kohana smiled a little. "I guess I'll just have to figure it out on my own…"

"Kohana?" Piao asked after another moment.

"Yeah?"

"You won't go back to your world with Ayame, will you?"

Kohana looked at her friend, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well…some of us are worried that you'll go with her and won't come back…"

She shook her head vehemently. "I can't go back now. I won't abandon my promise to be the priestess. To the end, no matter what that means." She put her hand on Piao's shoulder. "This place is like my 2nd home. I can't go anywhere until everything's okay here, got it?"

Piao looked at Kohana. "Yeah, I got it."

Hotohori walked by himself down the halls of the Konan palace. He needed time alone to think, to worry. How could Naraku travel through both worlds? If she'd always had this power, why didn't she use it before? How did know where to find Kohana's sister? How is Kohana going to react to her sister's being here?

He walked and worried so much he didn't realize he'd walked all the way to the room Ayame was sleeping in. Mitsukake had said the best thing for her was sleep so everyone had left her alone for most of the day. Hotohori couldn't help but wonder what kind of person Ayame was. He pushed open the door to check on her.

To his surprise, she was sitting up in bed, looking somewhat confused. She turned to the door when it squeaked as Hotohori pushed it open. She raised an eyebrow as he just stood there looking stunned. "Well, are you just going to stand there or are you coming in?"

Hotohori flushed a bit and walked in. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were awake." He was surprised at just how much the two sisters looked alike. Sitting in bed the way she was, she looked like an older, pregnant Kohana.

"I just got up…" She looked around at the red room. "I'm in Konan, I assume?"

"Yes. The eastern wing of the royal palace to be exact." He bowed to her. "I am Hotohori, one of Kohana's seishi."

"Hotohori, huh? Nice to meet you." She smiled but also seemed to be giving him a rather thorough once-over. "So you're the one Kohana's in love with."

He did his best to avoid shifting under her critical gaze. Although he'd been through plenty of nerve-wracking situations, nothing seemed to compare to the scrutiny of his love's sister's eyes. "Yes, ma'am. How are you feeling?"

She shrugged and stopped looking at him so carefully. "Okay, I suppose. I'm kinda fuzzy on what happened though. I remember sitting at home, reading the book…it got really cold and I thought maybe I left a window open…but there she was…Naraku…then I don't really remember much…"

"You were badly wounded. Naraku attempted to use you to make us surrender. But she won't win."

Ayame glanced out the window. "Well, as if my life wasn't weird enough as it was…this is all I needed…"

"Would you like me to go get Kohana? She's been worried about you."

"Hang on a minute."

"Yes?"

"What's the matter with you?"

"Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You seem on edge. What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Well ah…it's nothing…"

"Hotohori…" She gave him a dirty look.

He sighed. "Some of us are worried about your arrival here…"

Ayame sat back in the bed and looked up at him. "Worried about what?"

"We all agreed that we would find a safe way to send you home but ah…we're worried Kohana may go back with you…" He looked away from her.

She shook her head. "Please don't tell me you think she'd leave now…"

"We don't know what to think. We all know that she's sharply divided between our world and yours. We're worried that she may decide to go home with you."

"By 'we' you mean 'you', don't you?"

He quickly turned to face her. "Of course I'm worried. I love her more than anything. I don't ever want to see her leave. But I can't make her stay. Ultimately it's her decision." He sighed and turned away again, his face somewhat flushed though obscured by his long, thick hair. He'd never felt so awkward in his life. It was difficult for him to talk about Kohana in front of Ayame, even though he was the emperor, trained to be calm and collected no matter what. But his years of training seemed to slip from his mind once such strong emotions like love came into play. "Your being here may make her decide to go home." His voice was low, full of emotion. In fact, just the way he sighed seemed to say more about his feeling that his words did.

Ayame sighed and stood up. Slowly, she walked over to his side. "Hotohori, listen to me, okay?" He stared at her. "I understand why you're worried. I suppose in your position, I'd be thinking the same thing. But don't ever think she'd turn her back on your world before she's fulfilled a promise. Kohana isn't that type of person. And don't doubt her love for you either. Even if she hated everyone and everything else in this world, she'd stay and fight for you. I know that. And I think you do too, you just needed to be reminded. I couldn't tell you what she'll do at the end of all this, but she won't leave now."

Hotohori fell silent, thinking about her words. He knew she was right. Kohana wouldn't leave now. And he could worry about her final decision later, when they weren't worrying about whether or not there'd be a 'later'. "Thank you Ayame. I did need to be reminded. But it won't happen again." He smiled. "Would you like to see Kohana now?"

She nodded. "It's been a while since we've had the chance to talk."

Ayame quietly waited for Kohana to arrive. She started to wonder how long it would take for Hotohori to find her. But it didn't seem like long before she came in.

"Ayame? How are you?"

Ayame smiled at her sister, dressed in clothes that made her look like she belonged in Konan. "I'm alright. Kinda wish we had people like Mitsukake on our side." She looked down at her arm where there were only faint remnants of scratches.

Kohana laughed lightly and hugged Ayame tightly. "Did you just get up?"

"I've been up for a little while. I was talking to Hotohori."

"Oh? What about?" Kohana looked at her sister curiously.

"Nothing really."

"Come on, you can tell me." Kohana stepped in front of her sister when she started to walk towards the window.

Ayame chuckled. "Jealous I was talking to your boyfriend?"

Kohana blushed furiously and turned away. "N…no…I just uh…Hotohori's not my…that is to say he's…" She stumbled over every word she tried to say until she just gave up.

Ayame laughed even harder. "Would you look at that? You are so red right now."

Kohana frowned and wrinkled her nose. "Leave me alone! If you're not gonna tell me what you were talking about, fine. I won't ask."

Ayame sobered up and sat back on the bed. "We were talking about you."

"Me?" She looked at her sister, wide-eyed with new found curiosity.

"Well, about you and him…" She patted the bed next to her and Kohana sank down on it. "About you and what you want to do after Naraku's gone…"

A soft sigh escaped her lips. "About whether or not I'd go home with you, right?"

"You've had this conversation with him?"

"No…with Piao. She was telling me some people are worried I'd leave now and wouldn't come back. I told her I wouldn't got back on my promise to them."

"And what did you say about after Naraku?"

Kohana folded her hands in her lap and stared at the floor. "I don't know what to do. It's easy for Momo…she doesn't feel there's a reason for her to go back so she can stay…how can I choose between all the people I love?"

"Oh Kohana…" Ayame wrapped her arms around her sister. "Listen to me, okay?" Kohana nodded. "I know you love our home. I've never thought otherwise. Eventually though, everyone has to grow up. You're not going to want to hang around with Tasuki and me the rest of your life, right? Eventually, you're going to have your own life and family. Who do you want that life to be with? Hotohori, the man you love, or someone else you settle for because he reminds you of Hotohori? Tasuki and I have followed your journey through the book. I know how much you love him. I know how much he loves you. Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering what it could have been like with him? Or have that life I know you want deep down?"

Kohana rested her head on her sister's shoulder. "I want to stay…I want to be with him and everyone else. It just feels so right…when we're all at dinner and it's nothing but pure chaos…but we're all happy" She laughed as she started to cry. "I want to see Nakago and Soi's child grow up…I want to see if peace can last between Konan and Kutou…"

"Then stay." Ayame momentarily tightened her grip. "I want you to be happy. I don't want to see you mope around our world when this is the place you truly want to be." She brushed Kohana's hair back a little and yawned. "Why don't you go find Hotohori? I'm sure he'll want to hear it from you. I could use another nap too."

Kohana nodded and smiled. "Thank you so much Ayame. You've made everything seem so simple."

"I'm your big sister. It's my job." She helped Kohana up to her feet.

"Thanks again…I feel a lot better now."

Ayame nodded and slipped back into the luxurious bed.

Kohana ran down the halls, hoping to find Hotohori as soon as possible. She silently cursed the size of the palace and the fact that Hotohori's room was far from Ayame's.

Out of breath, she finally stopped in front of his door to rest a moment. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. After she resumed her normal breathing and raised her hand to knock on the door. But before her knuckles hit the painted wood, the door slid open. She stumbled backwards with a gasp and tripped over the rug behind her. She yelped and Hotohori's hand shot out to keep her from falling.

"Kohana? Is something wrong? I heard running outside my door…" He pulled her back to her feet.

"N…no, nothing's wrong. Everything's fine I think. I wanted to talk to you about something…can I come in?" She looked up at him sheepishly.

"Of course. You're always welcome here to talk." He closed the door after she walked in. "Did you speak with your sister?"

Kohana pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. It was really good to talk to her. I missed her…" She wandered to his dressing table.

"But you didn't come here to talk about that did you?" He watched her shift nervously in front of the mirror.

"No I suppose I didn't…" She traced the intricate patterns on the table with her finger and looked at Hotohori in the mirror. "I wanted to ask you something…" He waited patiently for her to continue. "If I umm…decided to stay in Konan, would there be a place for me?"

"Of course there would be." He walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her back to his chest. "Why do you ask?"

She didn't say anything for a moment, just rested one hand on his arm and leaned back into him. She enjoyed just standing around with him in silence. Normally she hated silence, but it was okay with him. She then turned her head to look at him. "I'd like to stay here with you…"

Hotohori looked down at her. "Do you really mean that?"

She nodded. "I don't want to leave you…"

"Kohana…" Hotohori tightened his grip on her and buried his face in her neck. "You can stay here forever."

She turned in his arms and held on to him tightly. Neither of them dared to speak. It all just seemed too perfect. The sun had long since set and moonlight poured into his dimly lit room. Kohana looked up and stared deeply into his golden eyes. He watched moonlight reflect off her hair and face, making her look like other-worldly creature some people in his country believed her to be.

Stories about who and what Kohana and Momo were often came to the palace through the servants. People believed they were more than even priestesses if they could bring even some peace between Konan and Kutou. Some even whispered that they were goddesses in their own rights.

Kohana could see he was getting lost in his own thoughts. She reached up and ran her fingers through his silken hair. "What are you thinking about? You've got such a far off look in your eyes."

He smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just so happy you decided to stay here. I don't know what I would have done if you'd decided to leave."

"I didn't know what to do for a long time. You knew I didn't after you overheard my conversation with Momo in Kutou. But Ayame put things in perspective for me. There's no way I could have voluntarily left."

"What did you sister say that made you decide to stay here?"

"I'll tell you later." She nestled into his arms, letting herself get lost in him. "It'll keep."

He pulled her close again and rested his cheek on her head. "Yes, I suppose it will."

* * *

The next morning, Momo went to Ayame's room early in the morning. There had been a question burning in her mind since Ayame's appearance but there just wasn't time to ask her last night. 

"Ayame, it's me, Momo. Can I come in?"

"Sure Momo." She stepped into the room. "Good morning."

"Morning." Momo nervously pushed a piece of hair out of her face and looked over at Ayame. "Can I ask you something?"

"What's on your mind?"

"Ummm…how long have Kohana and I been away from home?"

"It's been a couple of weeks." Ayame had a feeling she knew where Momo was going with her questions.

"Couple of weeks huh? Do…do my parents even know…you know, that I've been gone that long? If you don't know that's fine, but I was kinda curious…"

Ayame sighed. "I think…they came back a few days ago but I don't think they know you're gone. It doesn't seem like they've been looking for you…"

Momo laughed bitterly. "Of course not…I could be dead and rotting in the middle of nowhere and they'd never know I was gone until the police asked them to identify the body. Even then they might not even remember what I look like." Her eyes glistened with tears she wasn't willing to let fall. "If it weren't for the notes they left sometimes I wouldn't believe they even exist…"

"I'm sorry Momo…I wish there was something I could do or say…"

"Don't worry about it. It's not like it's your fault my parents are irresponsible people who never should have had kids." She ran her hand through her hair, grabbing a fist full at the end. "You know, when you go back, if you see them, ask them where I am. See if they ever figure it out. They never cared about me…"

Ayame sighed and put a hand on Momo's shoulder. "Just remember how much you're loved here. These people would do anything for you. You found your place here."

"Yeah. I guess I did." She let her hair go and managed a smile. "I'm finally where I feel like I belong." Momo headed for the door. "You know something Ayame?"

"What?"

"For being under 30, you sound a lot like some wise old woman on a mountain top." She grinned.

Ayame laughed. "I'll try to take that as a compliment, but I'm not sure I can."

Momo laughed again and opened Ayame's door. "Breakfast will be served soon. If you want to eat you can ask one of the soldiers to take you to the dinning room."

"What? You can't tell me where it is?"

"No. I still get lost around here. I always walk with Suboshi." She smiled and left the room.

* * *

Shadow Hawk 


End file.
